Terminal  Cost  Data 


Terminal  Cost  Data 


By  BRUCE  V.  CRANDALL 


Price,  $2.50 


PUBLISHED  BY 

RAILWAY  EDUCATIONAL  PRESS 

CHICAGO 


Copyright  1919 

Railway  Educational  Press,  Inc. 
Chicago,  Illinois 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I 

Increased  Revenues,  Decreased  Operating  Expense — or  Both 11 

CHAPTER  II 

Cost  of  Turning  Engines 16 

CHAPTER  III 

The  Value  of  a  Locomotive 21 

CHAPTER  IV 

Xecessity  for  Labor  Saving 25 

CHAPTER  V 

Wage  Savings  31 

CHAPTER  VI 

Comparative  Costs  38 

CHAPTER  VII 

On  the  Santa  Fe 46 

CHAPTER  VIII 

On  the  Chesapeake  &  Ohio 54 

CHAPTER  IX 

On  the  Pere  Marquette 63 

CHAPTER  X 

Average  Savings  71 

CHAPTER  XI 

Cinder  Pit  Track  and  Conveyor  Layouts 75 

CHAPTER  XII 

Other  Installations  of  Robertson  Conveyors 85 

CHAPTER  XIII 

Inclined  Track  Coaling  Station 95 


4  1 


FOREWORD 

The  extreme  importance  of  the  locomotive  terminal  and  the  effect 
which  the  terminal  has  in  determining  the  effective  working  hours 
obtained  from  the  locomotive,  are  perhaps  so  well  recognized  by  rail- 
way officials  that  it  need  hardly  he  mentioned. 

Proper  layout  and  proper  equipment  at  the  locomotive  terminal 
will  decrease  the  delay  to  the  locomotive,  thereby  increasing  its  earn- 
ings. 

Two  hundred  and  forty  feet  of  track  and  twenty  locomotives  stand- 
ing waiting  their  turn  at  a  hand-operated  cinder  pit,  shows  that  some- 
thing is  basicly  wrong  as  regards  terminal  layout  and  equipment.  The 
purpose  of  this  book  is  to  show  where  and  to  what  extent  power 
operated  cinder  conveyors  have  decreased  delays  to  locomotives  and 
increased  their  earning  power,  at  the  same  time  tremendously  reduc- 
ing the  labor  cost  of  handling  cinders. 

It  has  impressed  me  that,  while  the  importance  of  the  terminal  is 
realized,  concrete  data  on  various  details  or  portions  of  the  terminal 
was  lacking.  And  having  at  hand  a  large  amount  of  definite,  accurate 
and  very  valuable  data  on  one  phase  of  terminal  operation,  it  has 
seemed  to  me  that  I  should  get  this  up  into  book  form  for  the  benefit 
of  the  railroads;  and  as  indicating  a  solution  of  one  of  the  trouble- 
some problems. 

With  the  immense  problems  confronting  the  railroads  today,  it  is 
small  wonder  that  the  importance  of  some  features  are  overlooked 
and  underestimated.  It  is  with  the  hope  that  the  data  in  this  book 
will  be  of  some  value  upon  a  feature  until  recently  very  largely  over- 
looked, that  it  is  being  gotten  up  in  this  form  for  ready  reference. 

As  indicated  in  various  parts  of  the  book,  the  cost  of  labor  has 
gone  up  from  year  to  year  and  will  doubtless  continue  to  follow  the 
same  course  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  in  the  future. 

In  every  case,  where  possible,  the  figures  have  been  brought  up-to- 
date  and  figures  of  several  years  ago  also  shown  where  they  were 
available. 

It  is  possible  to  use  the  same  tables  and  substitute  prevailing  rates 
or  different  rates  at  any  time,  to  estimate  the  increase  or  decreases 
in  the  net  figures  obtained.  And  for  this  reason,  it  is  believed  that 

O 

the  tables  will  be  of  great  value  even  in  places  where  similar  rates 
are  not  now  paid  or  to  figure  current  savings  where  the  rates  vary 


from  year  to  year.  A  simple  arithmetical  substitution  and  computa- 
tion will  serve  to  reduce  the  results  to  figures  corresponding  with 
the  wages  paid  at  any  particular  location  at  any  particular  time. 

Every  bit  of  the  information  given  in  this  book  has  been  collected 
and  written  by  members  of  my  staff.  While  it  deals  specifically  with 
the  product  of  a  railway  supply  manufacturer,  none  of  the  informa- 
tion was  obtained  from  him  or  the  members  of  his  company. 

B.  V.  C, 
June  First, 
Nineteen  Nineteen, 
at  Chicago. 


CHAPTER  I 


Increased  Revenues,  Decreased  Operating  Expense — or  Both? 


Railroading  in  the  United  States  of 
America  has  been  developed  to  an  ex- 
ceedingly high  point  in  a  remarkably 
short  time.  Extreme  shrewdness  has 
been  required  of  officials  to  meet  com- 
petition, to 
reduce  op- 
crating 
expense 
w  h  i  1  e  in- 
c  r  e  a  s  - 


wages, 
in  order 
that  a  de- 
creased 
rate  of  rev- 
enue may 
be  ad  e- 
quate. 

The  ex- 
t  r  a  o  r  d  i- 
n  a  r  y  de- 
mands of 
the  public 
and  the 
shippers 
have  been 
multiplied, 
insisvt  ed 
upon  and 
added  to 
by  Government  regulations. 


ever  known,  "The  American  Railroads." 
All  these  things  made  many  big 

problems  in  railroading  before  the  war. 

Since  that  time,  we  have  added  to  all 

these  problems;  first,  a  much  more 

string- 
ent labor 

short- 
age; sec- 
ond, all  the 
problems 
which 
have  fol- 
lowed gov- 
e  r  n  m  e  n  t 
conjtroil; 
and  third, 
the  new 
problems 
which  are 
facing  us 
today  in 
the  period 
of  r  e  a  d- 
justment. 
Just  now 
we  have 
the  prob- 
1  e  m  o  f 


Two   of   Six    Robertson    Inclined    Track   Cinder   Conveyors   at   Grand    Rapids, 
Mich.,  where  $7,420.00  Per  Year   Is   Being   Saved   in    Labor  Cost. 


wages 
w  h  i  c  h 
have  been  raised  very  high,  on  account 


Things  have  been  demanded  which     of  the  war  and  the  increased  cost  of 


seemed    impossible.      These   and   more 
have  been  accomplished  by  these  intel- 
lectually tireless  workers  on  the  greatest     upper    and 
factors    of    civilization    the    world    has     stockholder 


living. 

The  railroad  official  is  between  the 
nether  millstones.  His 
expects  dividends,  the 


(n) 


^R  MINAL     COST     DATA 


Four  of  the  Six  Units  of  Robertson  Conveyors  at  the 
Large  Terminal  at  Argentine,  Kans.  This  Installation 
of  Robertson  Conveyors  is  saving  $26,300  Per  Year. 

Government  demands  service,  enforces 
safety  and  many  other  regulations,  and 
wages  are  higher  than  ever  and  increas- 
ing. It  is  not '  contended  that  these 
things  are  not  as  they  should  be.  Our 
railroads  should  give  the  traveling  pub- 
lic good  service  and  they  should  be  oper- 
ated with  utmost  safety,  not  only  to 
passengers  and  employes  but  to  the  gen- 
eral public,  which  is  all  in  closer  or  more 
remote  contact  with  railroads  all  the 
time. 


The  Two  Additional  Units  of  Robertson  Conveyors  at 
Argentine.  Note  These  Two  Units  Are  Located  Close 
Together. 


On  the  other  side  of  the  official  is  the 
laboring  class  which  has  been  accorded 
increases  in  view  of  the  greatly  in- 
creased cost  of  living.  And  it  is  not 
contended  that  these  increases  were  not 
in  large  part  justified  by  the  rise  in  cost 
of  living.  To  offset  all  of  these  things, 
the  Government  during  the  war  allowed 
a  substantial  increase  in  freight  rates 


Compare  the  Robertson  Conveyor  with  the  Hand  Pit  Shown  Herewith.  There  Were  Only  Three  Men  in  the 
Cinder  Pit  Gang  When  the  Picture  Was  Taken.  Full  Crew  Is  Seven  Men.  Note  Height  Cinders  Must  Be 
Thrown  Above  Laborers'  Head  to  Get  Them  Into  the  Cars. 

(12) 


INCREASED  REVENUES— DECREASED  OPERATING  EXPENSE— OR  BOTH? 


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(13) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


and  may  be  expected  again  to  allow  in- 
creases when  found  necessary. 

Every  one  realizes  that  there  are  two 
vays  of  increasing  dividends.  One  way 
is  to  increase  the  gross  revenue  and  the 
other  way  is  to  decrease  the  cost  of 
operation. 

And  it  was  with  the  idea  of  showing 
where  an  enormous  decrease  could  be 


Commerce  Commission  on  the  railways 
of  the  United  States.  This  number  rep- 
resents locomotives  fit  for  service.  With 
this  large  number,  it  is  interesting  to 
note  the  savings  that  can  be  made  in 
labor  alone,  at  the  cinder  pit  by  adopt- 
ing modern  power  equipment. 

A  table  is  given  herewith,  showing  a 
study    made    of    twenty-five    different 


Showing  the  Three  Sets  of  Double  Conveyors  of  Which  Illustration  on  Page  11  Is  a  Part.  The  Pit  Which 
Was  Originally  at  This  Place  Was  a  First-Class  Hand  Pit  and  Probably  Operated  As  Cheaply  As  Any  Hand 
Pit  Could  Be;  Yet  There  Was  An  Immense  Saving  Made  Through  the  Use  of  the  Robertson  Conveyors.  Note 
That  Two  Units  Are  Located  Very  Close  Together  So  That  the  Fires  from  a  Locomotive  Can  Be  Dumped  Into 
Two  Carts  at  the  Same  Time. 

made  in  labor  costs  that  this  book  is  terminals  where  actual  figures  were  ob- 

being  offered.     Railroad   men   cannot  tained,  upon  cost  of  handling  cinders 

help  but  appreciate  voluminous  and  ac-  before  and  after  power  equipment  was 

curate  data  showing  exactly  how  one  of  installed. 

the  big  labor  problems  on  the  railroad        As  shown  in  the  table,  total  savings 

may  be  solved,  and  at  the  same  time  save  at  these  twenty-five  installations  under 

millions  of  dollars.  the  present  scale  of  wages  is  $195,588 

There  were  65,314  locomotives  listed  for  1,127  locomotives.     This  figures  a 

in  the   1916   report   of  the   Interstate  possible  saving  of  $173.00  per  engine 

(14) 


INCREASED  REVENUES— DECREASED  OPERATING  EXPENSE— OR  BOTH? 


per  year  at  these  twenty-five  locations. 
With  65,314  locomotives,  then,  there  is  a 
possibility  of  a  saving,  in  cinder  pit 
labor  alone,  of  $11,300,000  per  year. 

This  saving  is  already  being  made  at 
a  large  number  of  terminals  where 
Robertson  cinder  conveyors  are  in- 
stalled, yet  there  are  still  thousands  of 
terminals  which  are  handling  cinders  by 
antiquated  hand  shoveling,  where  a  pro- 
portional saving  might  be  made. 


And  an  even  larger  saving  may  be 
made  in  the  time  of  the  .locomotive  by 
the  use  of  this  power  equipment  because 
the  pit  is  then  always  ready  for  a  loco- 
motive and  there  is  no  delay.  On  the 
average  this  is  equivalent  to  a  saving  of 
at  least  15  minutes  per  locomotive  per 
day.  At  76c  per  minute  (see  Chapter 
III)  this  figures  $11.40  per  locomotive 
per  day  or  about  $4,260  per  year.  For 
65,314  engines  this  totals  $264,000,000. 


Note  in  This  Hand  Operated  Pit  as  Usual  There  Is 
a  Large  Accumulation  of  Cinders.  Also  Note  the  Man 
Standing  Beside  the  Car  and  the  Height  Cinders  Must 
Be  Thrown  Above  His  Head  to  Get  Them  Into  the  Car. 


Note  Height  That  Cinders  Must  Be  Thrown  to 
Get  Them  Over  Side  of  Car  at  This  Hand  Pit.  Also 
Note  Accumulation  of  Cinders  Which  Is  the  Usual 
State  of  Affairs  At  a  Hand  Operated  Pit. 


(15) 


CHAPTER  II 


Cost  of  Turning  Engines 
The  human  element  varies  so  greatly    of  the  same  town,   directly   under  his 


mentally  and  physically,  that  there  has 
been  created  a  tendency  to  blame  the 
man  in  charge  instead  of  his  layout 


supervision,  both  handling  the  same 
kind  and  amount  of  power,  and  we  find 
the  startling  fact  that  one  of  these 


whenever  the  performance  sheet  shows  roundhouses  stands  at  the  top  of  the  list 

up  poorly.    Regardless  of  the  variance  and  the  other  at  the  bottom  on  the  per- 

in  conditions,  references  are  constantly  formance  sheet — in  the  cost  of  turning 

given    to    records    made    at    different  engines — then  we  must  admit  that  there 


Eight  Units  of  Robertson  Conveyors  at  McGregor,  Iowa,  Where  High  Capacity  Has  Been  Provided. 

points;  or  by  the  predecessor  of  a  man     is  something  vitally  wrong  with  one  of 


at  the  same  point,  where  possibly  the 
layout  is  the  same  but  other  conditions 
have  materially  changed.  For  this  rea- 
son, comparative  figures  are  not  always 
final  in  indicating  the  ability  of  a  man 
and  his  organization. 

When,  however,  a  Master  Mechanic 
has  two  roundhouses  at  opposite  ends 


the  layouts. 

The  condition  mentioned  above  was 
noticed  on  the  terminals  of  one  of  our 
large  American  railroads;  and  the  ac- 
tual figures  taken  from  the  monthly 
performance  sheet  produced  indisput- 
able evidence  that  great  and  startling 
differences  in  cost  of  turning  engines 


(16) 


COST     OF     TURNING     ENGINES 


View  of   Eastern   Portion  of  North   McGregor  Terminal  Yard   and   Abandoned   Creek  Channel. 


may  exist  in  two  terminals  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  one  man;  and  where  all 
conditions,  except  those  of  layout  and 
equipment,  would  be  very  similar. 

In  one  of  the  summer  months  of  1918, 
one  of  these  roundhouses  turned  engines 
at  a  cost  of  $10.20  per  engine.  For  the 


same  month,  the  other  roundhouse 
turned  engines  at  a  cost  of  only  $3.60 
per  engine.  Here  is  a  difference  in  cost 
of  $6.60;  or  in  other  words,  it  cost  al- 
most three  times  as  much  to  turn  en- 
gines at  one  point  as  at  the  other. 
At  the  terminal  where  the  higher  cost 


This  Locomotive  Terminal  Is  Located  Between  High 
Hills  and  Where  Space  and  Layout  Are  Restricted  by 
the  Narrowness  of  the  Valley. 


A   Terminal   Where   Cinders   Are   Not   Being    Handled 
to  Advantage  and  Where  Great  Delay  Is  Resulting. 


(17) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


A  Modern  Terminal  Having  Large  Capacity  Indicat- 
ing the  Realization  of  the  Necessity  for  Terminals 
Which  Will  Handle  Power  Quickly  and  Keep  It  In 
Service. 


is  prevalent,  35  engines  are  handled 
every  day ;  and  if  the  cost  could  be  low- 
ered to  that  prevaling  at  the  other  term- 
inal, a  saving  could  be  made  here  of 
$231  a  day  or  $84,315  per  year. 

A  very  short  investigation  uncovered 
the  reason  for  this  great  difference  in 
cost  of  turning  engines  at  these  two 
terminals.  The  low-cost  roundhouse 


A    Small    Terminal. 


had  a  Robertson  Inclined  Cinder  Con- 
veyor, while  at  the  other  roundhouse 
cinders  were  still  being  loaded  by  hand 
from  a  hand  operated  pit.  Xaturally, 
the  other  equipment  around  the  modern 
roundhouse  was  in  accordance  with  the 
cinder  pit  layout.  There  was  an  up-to- 
date  coal  dock  and  a  water  spout,  with 
sand  house  and  coal  dock  so  arranged 
with  the  inclined  cinder  conveyor,  that 
only  37  minutes  were  required  from  the 


These  Robertson  Conveyors  at  Illmo,  Mo.,  Do  Not  Require  Any  Cinder  Pit  Laborers  At  All,  the  Cinders 
Being  Loaded  By  the  Hostlers.  In  1917,  and  At  a  Rate  of  $1.75  Per  Day  for  Labor,  This  Installation  Was  Sav- 
ing $2,000.00  Per  Year.  Today  At  the  Rate  of  43c  Per  Hour  the  Robertson  Conveyors  Are  Saving  $4,825.00. 

(18) 


COST     OF     TURNING     ENGINES 


time  the  engine  arrived  till  the  time  it 
went  under  the  smoke  jack.  At  the 
other  roundhouse,  50  minutes  was  the 
minimum  length  of  time  required  for 
the  same  operation.  And  the  only  way 
that  it  was  kept  down  to  50  minutes  was 
by  a  great  increase  in  the  labor  force — 
an  additional  labor  force  costing  almost 
$6.60  more  per  engine. 


sheet,  we  many  times  lose  sight  of  the 
great  increase  in  the  size  of  locomotives 
and  the  greater  severity  of  all  other 
conditions,  following  the  great  develop- 
ment of  our  railroads.  There  has  been 
an  enormous  change  in  power  without 
in  many  cases  there  being  a  correspond- 
ing change  in  appliances,  installations 
and  layouts  to  meet  the  greatly  in- 


This  Illustrates  How  Cinders  May  Be  Pulled  from  the  Two  Ends  of  the  Fire-Box  At  One  Time  Into  Two 
Robertson  Conveyor  Carts.  This  Saves  Time  for  the  Locomotive,  Does  the  Work  with  One  Spotting  and  Takes 
the  Full  Fire  from  the  Locomotive  Without  Waiting  for  a  Cart  to  Go  Up  and  Dump.  Note  Excellent  Loading 
Done  By  the  Conveyor  Without  Any  Hand  Shoveling.  Photograph  of  Two  of  Six  Units  at  Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 


This  incident  is  certainly  impressive, 
and  indicates  the  advisability  of  a  very 
painstaking  consideration  of  the  layout 
and  equipment  at  a  terminal,  omitting 
consideration  of  nothing  because  of  its 
seeming  unimportance. 

In    checking    up    the    performance 


creased  requirements.  Certainly,  with 
a  locomotive  worth  76c  per  minute  (see 
Chapter  III),  we  are  justified  in  in- 
stalling the  most  modern  and  greatest 
time  and  labor  saving  devices  and  ap- 
pliances possible  to  procure  at  our  loco- 
motive terminals.  We  are  justified  in 


(19) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


making  a  most  careful  survey  of  the 
layouts  with  the  idea  of  making  care- 
fully planned  changes  to  reduce  delays. 

And  in  such  a  survey,  the  primary 
consideration  must  naturally  be  the  re- 
duction of  labor  requirements  at  the 
same  time  in  order  to  promote  economy 
in  the  terminal  as  well  as  speed  in  turn- 
ing engines. 

The  loss  mentioned  of  $84,315  in  a 
year  at  this  one  terminal  would  have 
purchased  inclined  cinder  conveyors 
and  eliminated  a  great  big  expense  and 
ina,ny  laborers;  and  beside  this,  would 
have  furnished  a  goodly  amount  toward 
the  installation  of  all  the  other  modern 
appliances  and  changes  in  layout 
which  would  have  made  the  terminal  an 
up-to-date  one. 

It  should  also  be  borne  in  mind  that 
this  $84,315  per  year  represents  simply 
the  labor  and  other  loss  around  the 


terminal  and  does  not  take  into  consid- 
eration the  value  of  the  locomotive  and 
the  increased  time  it  is  spending  in  the 
terminal  due  to  improper  and  in- 
adequate layout  arid  equipment.  If 
the  value  of  the  locomotive  were  com- 
puted on  a  basis  of  the  unnecessary  de- 
lay, it  would  add  a  very  large  figure. 
And  beside  this,  there  are  many  other 
contributing  expenses  which  would 
come  in  to  swell  the  total,  such  as  capital 
charge  on  the  locomotive,  other  delays, 
and  disorganization  of  the  work  all  the 
way  through  because  of  the  inad- 
equate and  overloaded  equipment  and 
layout. 

At  the  modern  terminal,  a  minimum 
saving  of  13  minutes  is  made  in  han- 
dling every  locomotive,  —  while  the  max- 
imum saving  will  run  up  to  45  minutes 
—with  the  locomotive  worth  76c  per 
minute. 


(20) 


CHAPTER  III 

The  Value  of  a  Locomotive 


In  April  1915,  Mr.  X.  U.  Ballantine, 
then  assistant  to  2nd  Vice-President  of 
the  Rock  Island  Lines,  gave  a  paper 
before  the  Western  Railway  Club  on 
the  value  of  a  freight  locomotive  from  a 
transportation  standpoint. 

In  this  paper,  Mr.  Ballantine  stated 
that  an  analysis  of  his  figures  indicated 
that  an  engine  with  an  average  tractive 


ever,  simply  figuring  on  the  25  per  cent 
raise  in  freight  rates,  the  same  locomo- 
tive is  now  worth  95c  per  minute,  while 
running,  and  $220  per  day. 

We  can  figure  up  the  cost  of  a  loco- 
motive on  a  different  basis  and  get  some 
very  interesting  figures. 

In  the  Twenty-Xinth  Annual  Re- 
port of  the  Interstate  Commerce  Com- 


This   Locomotive   Is  Worth  76c   Per   Minute   When    Pulling  a  Load.     This  Indicates  the  Necessity  for  Decreasing 

Terminal   Delay. 

power  of  37,700  Ibs.  and  an  average    mission,  showing  statistics  of  railways 


gross  per  train  mile  of  808  tons  was 
worth  76c  per  minute  while  running,  or 
an  average  of  $176  per  day. 

Since  that  time,  we  have  had  a  25  per- 
cent increase  in  freight  rates;  and  be- 
side this,  a  great  increase  in  the  mini- 
mum loading  of  cars  with  the  result  that 
considerably  less  dead-load  is  carried 
per  train  than  formerly.  For  these 
reasons,  the  value  of  an  engine  is  much 
greater  now  than  it  was  then.  How- 


in  the  United  States  for  the  year  ended 
June  30,  1916,  the  gross  operating  rev- 
enue is  given  on  page  51  as  $3,472,641,- 
941.  And  on  page  15  of  this  same  re- 
port the  total  number  of  locomotives  in 
service  is  given  as  65,314,  including 
switching  locomotives. 

On  this  basis,  each  locomotive  was 
worth  $53,168  per  year  in  1916  which 
figures  $145.44  per  day.  This  also  in- 
cludes switching  locomotives  but  these 


(21) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


One  of   the    First    U.    S.    R.    R.    A.    Locomotives   Com-  A    Lar9e    Locomotive    Being    Delayed    Near   a    Hand, 

pleted.  operated    Cinder    Pit. 


are  necessary,  however,  in  the  work  of 
getting  the  traffic  over  the  road  and 
therefore  they  should  be  included. 

On  a  basis  of  a  25  per  cent  increase 
in  revenue  since  1916,  the  locomotive  is 
now  worth  $181.92  per  day  instead  of 
$145.44  per  day.  Now  if  the  locomo- 
tive is  only  actually  pulling  freight  4 
hours  per  day,  it  is  earning  while  it 


pulls  the  freight  one-fourth  of  $181.92 
or  $45.48  per  hour  or  75-4/5  cents  per 
minute. 

Mr.  Ballantine  in  his  report  figured 
the  locomotive  was  running  only  three 
hours  and  thirty-eight  minutes  per  day. 
This  actual  running  time  has  probably 
been  increased,  which  is  our  reason  for 
using  4  hours.  The  small  difference  be- 


This Giant  Engine  Is  a  Big  Money-maker  for  the 
Railroad  When  It  Is  Pulling  Freight,  But  Is  An  Ex- 
pense When  In  the  Terminal. 


Photograph    of    Another     Large    Valuable     Engine. 


(22) 


THE     VALUE     OF     A     LOCOMOTIVE 


tween  Mr.  Ballantine's  figures  (with  25 
per  cent  increase),  and  the  figure 
$181.92  per  day,  is  probably  because 
one  average  includes  switch  engines, 
and  the  other  does  not.  We  have  used 
the  lowest,  and  therefore  the  most  con- 
servative, figure  in  our  computations. 

We  see  how  important  it  is  then  that 
any  unnecessary  delay  to  the  locomotive 
be  prevented.  This  means  getting  more 
work  out  of  the  locomotives  which  we 
now  have,  and  means  not  only  the  sav- 
ing thus  effected  but  a  reduction  in  the 


It  doesn't  take  long  for  the  money  to 
pile  up  when  it  is  considered  that  the 
locomotive  is  worth  76c  per  .minute.  A 
delay  of  a  couple  of  hours  getting  into 
and  out  of  a  terminal,  especially  if  it  is 
multiplied  by  some  fifty  or  sixty 
thousand  locomotives  in  the  United 
States,  runs  into  a  figure  of  respectable 
size. 

As  mentioned  above,  back  in  1916  and 
1917  and  before  those  years,  the  loco- 


A  Giant  Locomotive,  Worth  More  Than  the  Average, 
and  which  Must  Be  Kept  Working  the  Greatest  Pos- 
sible Number  of  Hours  Per  Day.  Delays  To  This  Kind 
of  Equipment  are  Doubly  Disastrous. 


The  Time  of  the  Switch  Engine  is  Almost  As  Valu- 
able As  That  of  the  Giant  Mallet.  Unnecessary  Term- 
inal Delay  to  This  Power  Means  a  Great  Economic 
Waste. 


requirements  for  new  locomotives,  and 
therefore  a  reduction  in  the  capital  re- 
quirements of  the  road. 

If  we  can,  by  better  utilization  of 
equipment,  decrease  the  capital  account 
of  the  road,  we,  of  course,  decrease  the 
overhead  charge  very  greatly  and  make 


motive  only  pulled  freight  for  from 
hours  to  4  hours  per  day  on  the  average. 
If  most  large  businesses  were  run 
with  such  an  incomplete  use  of  any  of 
the  earning  units,  it  would  be  unable  to 
compete  in  its  field.  This  does  not 
mean,  of  course,  that  it  is  possible  to 


it  possible  to  put  the  money  in  the  divi-  run  a  locomotive  for  24  hours  per  day, 
dend  column  that  was  formerly  eaten  but  certainly  it  ought  to  be  possible  to 
up  by  interest  charges.  get  more  than  a  maximum  of  4  hours 

(23) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


a  day  on  the  average  out  of  a  locomo-  All  these  things  impress  upon  us 
tive.  very  forcibly,  the  fact  that  there  is  much 
Part  of  this  delay,  and  a  good  share  preventable  delay  to  locomotives ;  and  at 
of  it,  is  chargeable  to  the  transportation  76c  per  minute,  there  is  every  incentive 
department.  But  there  is  enough  time  for  cutting  this  delay  down.  Add  on 
over  which  the  mechanical  department  top  of  this  76c  per  minute,  the  capital 
has  full  sway  to  make  large  savings  outlay  and  overhead  charges  on  the  ex- 
possible.  They  have  not  complete  con-  tra  number  of  locomotives  which  must 
trol,  because  of  the  fact  that  they  can-  be  provided  when  we  are  using  a  loco- 
not  always  have  the  equipment  which  motive  only  4  hours  per  day,  and  you 
they  know  is  necessary  in  a  properly-  have  some  conception  of  the  importance 
equipped  and  efficiently-run  terminal,  of  reducing  engine  delays. 


(24) 


CHAPTER  IV 


Necessity  for  Labor  Saving 


For  many  years  the  labor  problem 
has  been  one  of  the  most  formidable 
that  we  have  had  to  wrestle  with  and 
this  was  particularly  true  with  the  rail- 
roads. 

Formerly  the  railroads  were  unable 
to  pay  sufficiently  high  wages  and  the 
men  sought  employment  elsewhere. 
This  inequality  of  the  railway  laborer's 
wage  has  received  attention  in  recent 
years,  with  the  result  that  the  labor 


reduce  the  labor  requirement  than  it 
was  formerly.  Where  you  could  once 
save  $5  a  day  by  decreasing  the  labor 
requirements  by  three  men,  you  can  now 
save  $10  by  making  the  same  reduction. 
Labor  is  probably  just  as  independ- 
ent now  as  it  was  before  the  higher 
wages  were  paid,  and  in  many  cases, 
more  independent.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances, the  amount  of  work  ob- 
tained from  them  under  the  high  wages 


Battery    of    Robertson    Cinder    Conveyors    at    Milwaukee    Which    in   1917  Was  Savinq   $7,200.00  Per  Year. 


shortage  is  possibly  not  as  stringent  as    is  probably  no  more  on  the  average  than 


it  used  to  be.  But  on  the  other  hand, 
the  wages  have  increased  to  such  an 
amount  that  the  necessity  for  labor 
economy  or  cutting  down  the  number  of 
laborers  required,  is  more  vital  than 
ever  before. 

In  other  words,  we  have  solved  one 
problem  to  make  another.  If  anything, 
it  is  of  even  more  importance  now  to 


il  was  when  they  were  paid  lower  wages. 

Naturally,  when  laborers  are  scarce 
they  seek  out  the  most  remunerative 
and  the  most  attractive  jobs  from  the 
standpoint  of  wages,  personal  comfort, 
ease  of  work,  etc. 

This  is  the  reason  that  for  years  there 
has  been  no  labor  available  for  cinder 
pits  except  foreigners;  and  in  many 


(25) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


Robertson    Conveyors    at    Saginaw,    Mich.      Part    of    19   Robertson    Conveyors    on    the    Pere    Marquette    R.    R. 
Laborers    Reduced   from   6   Under    Hand    Operation,   to  2    Under   Robertson    Conveyor   Operation. 


cases  even  this  class  of  men  has 
shunned  the  cinder  pit  and  negroes  have 
been  used  to  a  large  extent.  And  even 
negroes  became  very  scarce  for  Avork 
around  this  most  undesirable  place  in 
the  railway  terminal,  the  cinder  pit.  It 
is  getting  so  that  no  man,  white  or  black, 
cares  to  flirt  with  lung  trouble  around  a 


Yet  the  cinder  pit  is  a  necessity,  just 
as  the  shop  also  is  a  necessity.  If  the 
cinder  pit  does  not  work  the  shop  will 
not  work  and  transportation  will  be 
without  power. 

The  Peak  Load. 

When  hiring  laborers  for  any  given 


A   Long  and   Extremely  Expensive  Hand  Cinder  Pit. 

dusty,     disease-breathing     cinder     pit 
when  other  employment  can  be  had. 


Note  the  Usual  Bad  Conditions  Here,  Which  Are 
Found  At  Most  Hand  Operated  Pits.  The  Accumula- 
tion of  Cinders  Shows  the  Difficulty  of  Keeping  Enough 
Men  Around  to  Handle  Them.  Two  Lifts  Are  Neces- 
sary Here,  One  From  the  Pit  to  the  Platform  and 
Another  From  the  Platform  Into  the  Car. 


(26) 


NECESSITY     FOR     LABOR     SAVING 


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(27) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


kind  of  railroad  work,  we  have  to  figure 
on  the  maximum  requirements.  Usually 
we  try  to  take  care  of  this  by  adding  to 
our  force  when  occasion  requires,  and 
laying  off  men  when  work  is  slack. 
This  method  works  out  fairly  well  when 
laborers  are  plentiful,  but  even  at  such 
times  it  is  doubtful  economy.  The  men 
who  are  laid  off  usually  have  become 
experienced  in  the  work  in  which  they 
were  engaged,  and  are  able  to  do  a 


any  degree  of  economy.  It  is  much 
simpler  to  take  care  of  the  peak  load 
where  power  machinery  is  used.  It 
costs  but  little  more  to  get  a  machine  of 
sufficiently  large  capacity  to  take  care 
of  the  peak  load. 

There  is  possibly  no  place  on  a  rail- 
road where  we  have  such  a  fluctuating 
demand  as  at  the  cinder  pit.  The  loco- 
motives usually  come  in  bunches.  Xo 
attempt  can  be  made  to  distribute  them 


Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  at  Waterville,  Me.,  Working  at  a  Temperature  of  32°  Below  Zero  and  Handling 
Cinders  from  Large  Locomotives  with  One  Dumping.  Many  Men  Saved  Here  Because  Cinders  Do  Not  Freeze 
in  Pit  in  Winter  Time. 

great  deal  more  work  than  new  laborers,     equally  throughout  the  day,  unloading 


Then  again,  all  the  new  laborers  who 
are  hired  are  likely  to  be  inexperienced 
men,  awkward  and  unfamiliar  with  the 
work;  for  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that 
men  who  are  laid  off  are  going  to  wait 
until  their  old  jobs  are  ready  for  them 
again,  provided  some  other  job  turns 
up  in  the  meantime. 


them  at  regular  intervals  at  the  cinder 
pit;  for  locomotives,  of  course,  have  to 
be  handled  in  the  way  that  traffic  de- 
mands. This  of  necessity  means  a 
fluctuating  load  over  the  cinder  pit. 

Where  laborers  are  hired  to  load  the 
cinders,  there  are  times  of  rush  work 
and  times  of  slack  work  every  day ;  that 


It  is  extremely  difficult,  therefore,  to  is,  provided  enough  laborers  can  be  ob- 
take  care  of  the  peak  load  Avhere  the  tained  to  take  care  of  the  peak  load, 
work  is  done  manually,  and  do  it  with  What  actually  happens  at  most  cinder 

(28) 


NECESSITY     FOR     LABOR     SAVING 


pits  operated  by  hand  is  that  they  are 
always  short  of  laborers  and  they  are 
unable  to  keep  the  cinder  pit  cleaned 
up,  even  during  the  periods  of  least  de- 
mand; and  when  the  heavy  demand 
comes  the  cinder  pit  becomes  hopelessly 
clogged  and  the  locomotives  are  regu- 
larly delayed. 

Provided  a  sufficiently  large  gang 
can  be  obtained  to  handle  the  cinders 
during  rush  periods,  there  are  times  dur- 


as  a  usual  thing  nothing  but  green  lab- 
orers can  be  induced  to  load  the  cinders. 
This  means,  of  course,  that  the  work  is 
done  at  much  greater  cost  than  would 
be  possible  if  a  regular  force  were  em- 
ployed. 

We  quote  from  one  report  obtained 
from  the  inspection  of  a  cinder  pit  which 
indicates  this  condition  as  it  was  in 
1917.  This  condition  is  changed  some- 
what as  we  write  this  book,  but  is 


Hand  Operated  Cinder  Pit  Where  Cinders  Have  To 
Be  Shoveled  Twice,  Once  Up  Onto  the  Bank  and  Then 
Again  Into  the  Car.  Note  Accumulation  of  Cinders 
which  the  Men  are  Just  Removing. 


ing  the  day  when  these  men  are  not 
working  and  when  the  company  is  pay- 
ing out  money  without  getting  any- 
thing back. 

If  a  power  operated  machine  is  doing 
the  work  of  loading  cinders,  there  is  no 
wage  account  or  practically  none  going 
along  when  the  cinder  pit  is  not  busy. 

Transient  Labor. 

On  account  of  the  distaste  which  all 


Cinders   Cannot    Accumulate    in    This    Manner    in   the 
Robertson   Conveyor   Pit. 


bound  to  return  in  all  its  severity  be- 
fore many  months  have  gone. 

"The hand  operated  cinder 

pit  requires  the  labor  of  8  men  per  day 
to  keep  the  engines  moving.  I  visited 
this  pit  yesterday  to  find  out  whether 
there  was  any  difficulty  in  obtaining 
these  laborers,  and  got  the  following 
data: 

"While  it  is  attempted  to  keep  8  men 
on  the  job,  this  force  is  not  enough  to 
keep  the  cinder  pit  clean  all  the  time, 


laborers  have  for  hand  cinder  pit  work,     so  as  to  allow  hostlers  to  knock  engine 

(29) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


fires  as  fast  as  they  come.  This  is  par- 
ticularly true  when  foreign  laborers  are 
being  employed. 

"At  this  place  it  has  been  found  prof- 
itable to  employ  negro  laborers,  and  a 
gang  of  six  of  these  men  is  usually  able 
to  keep  the  pit  working. 

"The  pressure  on  a  foreman  is  very 
severe.  He  has  got  to  get  the  work 
done  and  still  he  has  got  to  be  very  care- 
ful with  the  men,  or  else  he  hasn't  any 
gang." 

"The  time  the  foreman  spends  in  shift- 
ing the  men  from  one  job  to  another 
and  hiring  new  men  could  be  eliminated 
if  the  cinders  were  handled  by  power. 


"The  cinder  pit  described  had  8  men 
(4  Poles  and  4  Negroes)  working  a  full 
day  of  10  hours  on  May  29, 1917,  for  the 
first  time  in  60  days.  Ten  new  men  are 
employed  every  30  days,  thus  on  the 
average  a  man  only  stays  on  the  job  3 
days;  every  3  days  there  is  a  new  face 
or  two." 

This  inspector  says:  "The  dirty 
steamy,  dusty,  sticky  cinder  pit  appeals 
to  very  few  laborers ;  in  fact,  it  appeals 
to  no  one  unless  he  has  an  empty  stom- 
ach, and  when  he  gets  to  work  in  the 
cinder  pit,  a  man  will  actually  quit  and 
accept  a  job  for  less  money  and  work 
longer  hours." 


(30) 


CHAPTER  V 

Wage  Savings 


The  labor  situation  has  gone  from 
one  extreme  to  the  other  in  the  last  two 
years;  and  it  is  a,  peculiar  fact  that  the 
advantage  of  using  labor-saving,  power- 
operated  machinery  has  been  increased 
by  both  of  the  extreme  conditions. 

As  mentioned  in  the  previous  chap- 
ter, the  labor  shortage  was  especially 
severe  around  the  cinder  pit,  for  labor- 


is  the  last  place  that  a  man  will  consider 
working  in. 

From  an  average  wage  of  about  20e 
per  hour,  which  was  paid  cinder  pit  lab- 
orers in  1916  and  1917,  the  wages  have 
now  increased  to  37c  and  43c  per  hour, 
or  more.  This  change  also  increased  the 
advantage  of  using  Robertson  Inclined 
Track  Cinder  Conveyors  at  cinder  pits 


Robertson  Conveyor  at  Lexington  Junction,  Mo. 
Wage  Saving  Here  $3,760.00  in  Cinder  Pit  Labor  Charge 
Per  Year.  Note  Great  Saving  In  Excavation  Over  the 
Hand  Pit. 


ers   disliked  the   laborious,   dirty,   and 
unhealthy  work  of  loading  cinders. 

This  labor  shortage  led  to  its  natural 
result  and  wages  began  to  increase  rap- 
idly several  years  ago.  As  was  to  be 
expected,  one  of  the  places  hit  most 
seriously  in  this  wage  increase  was  the 
cinder  pit.  This  was  because  laborers 
shun  cinder  pit  work  as  it  is  laborious, 
hot  and  exceedingly  dirty  work;  and 
when  jobs  are  plentiful,  the  cinder  pit 


Side  View  of  Two   of  the    Four  Robertson    Conveyors 
at   Kankakee,   III. 


because  every  laborer  saved  meant  a 
much  larger  increase  in  the  yearly  sav- 
ings through  the  use  of  this  conveyor. 
In  other  words,  the  higher  the  cinder 
pit  wage,  the  greater  the  advantage  of 
using  the  Robertson  Inclined  Track 
Conveyor. 

At  present,  there  seems  to  be  plenty 
of  labor  for  all  kinds  of  work.  Yet, 
upon  investigation,  we  find  out  that  this 
is  not  the  case  everywhere.  There  are 
many  lines  of  industry  which  are  still 


(31) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


Robertson  Conveyor  at  Peach  Creek,  W.  Va.  One 
of  28  Robertson  Conveyors  on  the  Chesapeake  &  Ohio 
R.  R.  Wage  Saving  Here  Per  Year,  $4,840.00. 


short  of  laborers  and  when  a  man  is 
looking  for  work,  he  is  going  to  look  for 
it  elsewhere  than  at  the  hand-operated 
cinder  pit,  if  any  other  work  is  to  be 
found. 

The  shortage  of  jobs,  if  any,  is  main- 
ly among  skilled  labor  and  the  trades; 
men  who  will  not  stoop  to  the  laborious 
and  unpleasant  work  of  the  hand-oper- 


Two    Units    of    Robertson    Cinder   Conveyors    at    Cor- 
with,   III.     Wage   Saving    Here   Per  Year,  $5,430.00. 


a  ted  cinder  pit.  Strange  as  it  may 
seem,  therefore,  there  is  still  a  shortage 
of  labor  for  the  hand-operated  cinder 
pit,  even  at  the  present  wages  of  37c  to 
43c  per  hour,  and  the  same  old  troubles 
are  therefore  still  experienced  with  lab- 
orers at  such  places.  They  are  inde- 
pendent arid  refuse  to  over-exert  them- 


Another  Expensive  Hand  Operated  Cinder  Pit.  Note 
Its  Length,  Also  Accumulation  of  Refuse  and  Cinders 
in  Front  of  Car.  Wages  Wasted  Here  Every  Day  for 
Hand  Shoveling. 


A  Hand  Pit  Which  Is  More  Roomy  and  Easier  to 
Work  in  than  the  Ordinary  One.  Note  Distance  Above 
a  Man's  Head  That  Cinders  Must  be  Thrown  to  Get 
Them  Into  Cars. 


(32) 


WAGE    SAVINGS 


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O     ^    0'    S     £      ^    g^    %        «~       „   !    5    -d      -    !     <; 
Ef-S.-tTIll     1  .  §  ,  -         to     o^.cl"HJr:S.S 

o&'o'p        c.s?       s    t:'*:!yrt'-'OT:^ 

11=11  111     jsl^llll 

(33) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


selves,  with  the  result  that  actually  less 
work  is  being  obtained  from  a  laborer 
now  at  37c  to  43c  per  hour  than  was 
obtained  from  the  cinder-pit  laborers 
when  they  were  only  getting  20c  per 
hour.  In  other  words,  the  saving  which 
results  from  the  use  of  proper  kind  of 
power  equipment  at  the  cinder  pit,  is 
still  greater  than  the  difference  in  wages 
would  indicate;  for  even  more  laborers 


railroads.  There  has  been  an  immense 
increase  in  the  labor  expense  of  operat- 
ing railroads  for  which  some  compen- 
sating factor  must  be  found.  Wher- 
ever a  saving  can  be  shown,  therefore, 
by  the  installation  of  labor-saving, 
power-operated  equipment,  there  is 
more  reason  for  this  installation  now 
than  ever  before.  It  is  only  by  the  use 
of  such  equipment  that  higher  labor 


Robertson   Conveyor  at   Macon,   Ga.      Part  of  31    Robertson   Conveyors  on  the  Southern   Railway.     Wage  Sav- 
ing   Here  on    Basis  of  Present  Wages,  $3,300.00  a  Year. 

are  now  required  at  37c  to  43c  per  hour  costs  may  be  overcome.     And  higher 

at  the  hand  cinder  pit  than  were  re-  labor  cost  seems  to  be  with  us  to  stay, 

quired  when  the  rate  was  20c  per  hour,  because  the  cost  of  living  has  increased 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  even  more  so  very  materially. 

important    at    the    present    time    that        During  the  war,  the  stock  of  usable 

money  be  saved  at  the  cinder  pit  than  it  Ipcomotives  greatly  decreased  because 

ever  was  before.    All  railway  expenses  the  purchase  of  new  locomotives  was 

have  increased  enormously.     What  has  curtailed    far    below    that    of    normal 

happened  with  respect  to  the  wages  of  times.    In  addition  to  that,  locomotives 

cinder  pit  laborers  has  also  happened  have  been  used  much  harder  in  order  to 

with  respect  to  all  other  labor  on  the  move  the  greatly  increased  amount  of 

(34) 


WAGE     SAVINGS 


traffic,  with  the  result  that  many  of 
them  have  had  to  be  relegated  to  the 
scrap  heap — probably  a  larger  number 
per  year  than  has  been  customary. 
Every  engine  is  more  valuable  today,  if 
in  working  condition,  than  it  was  two 
years  ago.  The  value  of  equipment  has 
increased  as  much  if  not  more  than  have 
wages.  A  choked  hand-operated  cinder 
pit  means  delay  to  the  locomotive — a 
delav  which  it  is  more  necessary  now  to 


Note  Accumulation  of  Cinders  in  Tracks  at  Right 
Hand  Side  of  Illustration.  These  Cinders  Had  to  be 
Pulled  Out  of  a  Locomotive  Because  the  Cinder  Pit 
Was  Full,  and  they  were  Left  Piled  Up  in  the  Middle 
of  the  Track  and  have  to  be  Shoveled  Into  the  Cars. 
This  Illustrates  the  Fact  That  Congestion  at  Hand 
Operated  Pits  is  the  Rule  Rather  than  the  Exception. 
No  Chance  to  Save  Wages  at  This  Pit. 

eliminate  by  the  use  of  the  proper  kind 
of  power-operated  equipment,  than  it 
ever  was  before. 

On  top  of  all  this  we  find  that  the 
quality  of  coal  has  greatly  deteriorated 
with  the  result  that  now  fires  are  dirtier 
and  harder  to  clean ;  and  the  extra  time 
used  in  cleaning  the  fire  must  be  com- 
pensated by  eliminating  former  delays 
which-  occurred  at  the  hand-operated 
pit. 


Safety  requirements  on  railroads 
have  been  enforced  more  stringently 
than  ever  before  with  the  result  that 
every  kind  of  equipment  which  is  in- 
stalled is  observed  more  minutely  to  see 
whether  its  installation  means  increase 
in  safety  conditions  or  the  opposite. 

There  are  some  methods  of  handling 
cinders  which  are  absolutely  too  dan- 
gerous to  be  tolerated  and  one  of  these 
is  the  water  pit.  Many  men  have  been 
drowned  by  water  pits;  so  many,  in 


A  Hand  Pit  -Full  of  Water  and  Which  Is  Out  of 
Service  for  This  Reason.  Compare  the  Difficulty  of 
Draining  This  Large  Cinder  Pit  with  the  Small  Exca- 
vation Required  for  a  Robertson  Conveyor.  Also  Note 
that  the  Robertson  Conveyor  will  Work  Temporarily 
Even  Though  the  Pit  is  Under  Water,  While  With 
the  Flooded  Hand  Pit  the  Laborers  Can't  Get  In  It  To 
Do  Any  Work  At  All. 


fact,  that  it  is  becoming  customary  now 
to  place  large  danger  signs  where  water 
pits  are  installed.  In  some  cases,  short 
sections  of  rafts  of  old  ties  are  placed 
on  the  water  pit,  so  that  any  person  un- 
knowingly walking  into  them,  will  not  be 
drowned.  Light  cinders  rise  to  the  top 
of  the  water  and  form  a  very  effective 
imitation  of  the  cinder  covered  ground 
around  the  pit,  with  the  result  that  a 


(35) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


man  may  easily  walk  into  a  water  pit 
thinking  he  is  stepping  upon  the 
ground. 

We  say  that  many  men  have  been 
drowned  in  these  water  pits,  but  to  say 
that  they  are  drowned  is  not  quite  cor- 
rect. The  water  in  these  pits  is  full  of 
chemicals  which  come  from  the  cinders, 
and  it  is  said  that  a  single  swallow  of 
this  water  has  been  sufficient  to  cause 
death  at  some  pits.  At  any  rate,  it 
seems  to  be  the  case  that  as  soon  as  a 


necessity  for  the  increased  use  of  labor- 
saving  equipment  at  cinder  pits.  Even 
had  the  cost  of  the  Robertson  Inclined 
Track  Cinder  Conveyor  increased  pro- 
portionately, the  enormous  increase  in 
savings  because  of  higher  wages  would 
still  more  than  justify  its  installation  at 
every  cinder  pit  handling  10  engines  or 
more. 

These  figures  show  very  clearly  that 


Front  View   Robertson  Cinder  Conveyors  at   Detroit,  This  Large  Locomotive  Is  Worth  76c  Per  Hour  When 

Mich.     Wage  Savings  Here,  $7,410.00  Per  Year.  Pulling  a   Load,   So    It   Is  Costing  76c   Per  Hour  While 

It   Is   Here   Delayed   Waiting  for  a   Chance  To  Get  On 
the   Hand  Operated  Cinder  Pit. 

man  gets  one  swallow  of  this  water,  he 

is  incapable  of  fighting  for  his  life  as  as  the  wages  of  the  laborer  increase,  the 
he  would  be  if  the  water  was  fresh  advantage  of  using  labor  saving  equip- 
water.  This  illustrates  the  fact  that  the  ment  increases  in  at  least  the  same  pro- 
power-operated  equipment  selected  to  portion.  And  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
overcome  high  wages,  must  at  the  same  advantage  of  using  labor  saving  ma- 
time  be  absolutely  safe.  chinery  increases  in  even  larger  pro- 
We  show  on  page  33  a  table  giving  portion,  because  of  the  fact  that  as 
actual  data  on  cinder  pits  with  column  wages  increase,  showing  that  the  de- 
showing  the  percentage  of  increase  in  mand  is  greater  than  the  supply,  the 


cinder  pit  wages  in  recent  years. 


efficiency    of    labor    decreases;    and    a 


These  enormous   increases,   250   per    larger  number  of  laborers  are  required 
cent  in  an  extreme  case,  show  more  pow-    for  doing  the  same  work, 
erfully  than  anything  we  can  say,  the        But  where  the  laborer  is  simply  tak- 

(36) 


WAGE     SAVINGS 


ing  care  of  some  labor  saving  ma- 
chinery, where  he  has  practically  noth- 
ing to  do  but  oversee  its  operation,  the 
output  does  not  decrease  as  the  demand 
for  laborers  reduces  their  efficiency. 

In  the  table  on  page  33,  all  of  the 
cinders  are  handled  by  Robertson 
Inclined  Track  Cinder  Conveyors 
which  load  the  cinders  by  compressed 
air.  All  the  operator  has  to  do  is  to 


press   the   button  when   the   bucket   is 
loaded. 

There  has  been  no  increase  in  the 
number  of  laborers  employed  at  these 
pits  on  account  of  any  decrease  in  the 
efficiency  of  labor.  The  laborers  have 
so  little  to  do  around  these  pits  anyway 
that  they  are  always  up  to  the  demand, 
whether  they  are  good  laborers,  poor 
laborers  or  indifferent  laborers. 


(37) 


CHAPTER  VI 


Comparative  Costs 


In  considering  costs  on  a  railroad,  the 
cost  of  operation  is  always  of  more  im- 
portance than  first  cost;  provided,  of 
course,  that  first  cost  is  within  reason. 

First  cost  sinks  into  insignificance  if 
the  cost  of  operation  is  high  or  if  some- 
thing more  expensive  would  last  longer 
and  require  less  labor  and  attention  in 
doing  its  work. 

In  this  chapter  we  are  going  into  the 


by  locomotive  cranes,  and  the  Robert- 
son Inclined  Track  Conveyor  Pit  which 
is  illustrated  in  Fig.  6  of  that  report. 
How  do  the  first  cost  figures  of  these 
various  types  of  pits  compare? 

A  comparison  from  the  plans  fur- 
nished by  one  railroad  for  each  type  of 
pit  mentioned,  follows;  that  is,  a  com- 
parison between  the  locomotive  crane 
operated  pit,  the  hand  operated  pit  and 


Plan   and  Section   of  Water  Pit  fop   Locomotive  Crane.     Note    Depth    of    Excavation. 


subject  of  first  cost  of  equipment  for 
manning  a  cinder  pit.  This  subject  is 
brought  to  our  minds  very  forcibly  by 
the  report  on  cinder  pits  submitted  by 
the  American  Railway  Engineering 
Association  and  reprinted  herewith.  In 
this  report  the  committee  went  on  rec- 
prd  as  recommending  the  mechanical 
handling  of  cinders  where  twenty-five 
engines  or  more  are  handled  every  24 
hours.  It  also  discusses  and  illustrates 
various  types  of  cinder  pits  including 
hand-operated  pits,  water  pits  operated 


the  Robertson  Inclined  Track  Cinder 
Conveyor  Pit. 

The  water  pit  on  which  figures  are 
given  is  operated  by  a  locomotive  crane, 
and  not  by  a  traveling  crane  as  illus- 
trated  in  the  report  of  American  Rail- 
way  Engineering  Association.  The 
locomotive  crane  is  not  so  expensive  as 
the  traveling  crane,  and  has  been  used 
more  at  pits  for  the  reason  that  it  can  be 
taken  away  and  used  on  other  work  in 
emergency.  Some  men  will  contend  that 
this  is  not  an  advantage,  however,  but 


COMPARATIVE     COSTS 


The  Danger  Sign  Shown  In  This  Illustration  Is  To 
Prevent  Men  Being  Drowned  in  the  Water  Pit  Back 
of  the  Sign. 


an  objection  in  that  the  pit  is  often  de- 
prived of  the  use  of  the  crane  exactly 
when  it  is  most  needed. 

Cinder  Pit  Operated  By  Locomotive 
Crane. 

The  locomotive  crane  pit  described 
and  illustrated  in  the  plan  is  not  a  large 
one.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  is  a  very 
small  one  arid  the  figures  given  would 


COST  OF  LOCOMOTIVE  CRANE 
OPERATED  PIT. 

Excavation  and  unloading,  292  cu.  yds.  @ 

75c  _ $  219.00 

Concrete,  110  cu.  yds.  @$14.00  including 
forms  and  placing  reinforcing 1540.00 

5250  Ibs.  of  24  in-  corrugated,  bars  at 

4-1/lOc  per  Ib 215.00 

Old  rails  3.5  tons  @  $30.00....  105.00 


Total     .  ....$2079.00 


be  even  less  favorable  to  this  type  of  pit 
provided  an  average- sized  pit  was  con- 
sidered. Even  this  small  plant  costs  4 
or  5  times  as  much  as  the  Robertson  In- 
clined Track  Cinder  Conveyor  pit  to 
start  with,  and  there  are  other  pits  of 


this  same  type  which  would  cost  10  to 
15  times  as  much.  The  plan  and  cross 
section  of  this  pit  are  shown.  The  fig- 
ures in  the  table  were  carefully  made 
from  this  plan.  It  is  necessary  to  make 
the  excavation  larger  than  the  dimen- 
sions of  the  drawing,  in  order  to  have 
plenty  of  room  to  set  up  forms,  etc. 
The  figures  are  conservative  and  the 
same  allowances  are  made  for  each  type 
of  plant. 

Hand   Operated  Cindbr  Pit. 

At  first  glance  the  hand-operated  cin- 
der pit  would  seem  to  have  the  advan- 
tage over  mechanical  types,  in  that  it 


INITIAL  COST  OF  HAND  OPERATED 
CINDER  PIT. 

Excavation  1250  cu.  yds.  @  75c $  940.00 

Concrete  496  cu.  yds.  @  .$14.00  including 

forms  and  placing  reinforcing..: 6950.00 

Corrugated  Bar  reinforcing  5840  lbs.@4.1c     249.00 
Old  rail  reinforcing  6.2  tons  @  $30.00 186.00 


Total „....!...."... ....$8325.00 


requires  practically  no  equipment,  and 
thus  the  initial  cost  would  seem  to  be 


A  Typical  Water  Pit.  Note  Extreme  Length,  and 
the  Hazard  To  Employes  In  This  Type  of  Pit.  At 
Many  of  These  Water  Pits  It  Is  Necessary  To  Put  Up 
a  Danger  Sign  To  Prevent  Employes  Being  Drowned. 


(39) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


r 

rt- 

^H 

L"  . 

4           1 

-TfnferlKe  STTroik'-y 

i_L...-  

s__  ..._^||  

i  —  —  •-  -- 

i  

t  : 

1  .  ._  I93i   1££ 

I—  -X-.:~^  i-  -j 

Incline 

Off* 

Plan    and    Section    of    Hand    Operated    Cinder    Pit.      Note    Amount    of    Excavation    and    Concrete    Necessary- 
Many    Times   As    Great    As    For    Robertson    Cinder   Conveyor. 


lower.  The  cost  of  excavation  and  con- 
crete is  so  much  greater,  however,  that 
this  is  not  the  case.  The  long  incline 
adds  to  the  cost. 

With  the  hand-operated  pit  particu- 
lar attention  should  be  paid  to  the  ulti- 
mate cost  of  operation,  the  large  num- 
ber of  laborers  required  and  to  the  high 
cost  of  repairs.  The  concrete  exposed 
simultaneously  to  red  hot  cinders  and 


A  Hand  Cinder  Pit  Which  Cost  Many  Times  What  a 
Robertson  Conveyor  Costs.  Besides  First  Cost  the 
Cost  of  Operation  of  This  Pit  Is  Immensely  Greater. 


ice  cold  water,  rapidly  breaks  up  and 
requires  renewal  every  year. 

The  plan  and  cross  section  of  this  pit 
were  made  up  from  measurements  made 
with  a  steel  tape.  The  wall  designs  were 
made  similar  to  those  used  in  the  Loco- 
motive Crane  Pit. 

Robertson  Inclined  Track  Conveyor 
Cinder  Pit. 

The  two  unit  Robertson  Conveyor 
cinder  pit  illustrated  herewith  has  a  very 


A  Typical  Hand  Cinder  Pit.  Notice  the  Men  Neces- 
sary for  Operating  It.  Man  Has  To  Be  Placed  On  Top 
of  Car  To  Shovel  the  Cinders  Across  To  the  Other 
Side  In  Addition  to  the  Many  Men  Who  Have  To  Be 
Employed  To  Hoist  The  Cinders  Up  Over  the  Side. 


(40) 


COMPARATIVE     COSTS 


Robertson    Conveyors    at    Saginaw,    Mich.,    Which    In    1917    Were    Saving    $3,643.00    Per    Year    With    Cinder    Pit 
Labor    Waqe    at    34c    Per    Hour.      At    Present    Rate    of  43c    These    Robertson    Conveyors   Are    Saving   $4,600.00 

Per   Year. 


large  capacity.    Furthermore  it  has  the    fire  pulled.    There  is  no  danger  of  cin- 
advantage  over  either  of  the  other  types    ders  staying  in  it  long  enough  to  freeze 


INITIAL  COST,  CINDER  PIT  OPERATED 
BY  ROBERTSON  CONVEYORS. 

Excavation  and  unloading  107  cu.  yds.  @ 

75c    $     80.00 

Concrete  60  cu.  yds.  $14.00 _ 840.00 

Reinforcing  167  Ibs.  @  4.1c 7.00 

Old    rails    .    None 


Total    $  927.00 


of  pits,  that  the  cinders  must  be  imme- 
diately loaded  after  each  engine  has  its 


INITIAL  COST  THREE  TYPES  OF  CINDER 
PITS. 

Locomotive         Hand          Robert- 
Crane  Op-    Operated    son'Con- 


erated  Pit. 

Excavation  and  un- 
loading   $  219.00 

Concrete   1540.00 

Reinforcing  bars,  lo- 
comotive crane.—  215.00 

Old    rail    105.00 


Pit.      veyor  Pit. 


$  940.00 
6950.00 

249.00 
186.00 


i     80.00 
840.00 

7.00 
None 


Total    $2079.00       $8325.00       $  927.00 


_  ^.  J_  "| !  "_t'J  ~ Unloading  Jroci* 


I— y-dd-K'fol 


_,._  'I  A  *" 

—  54 *K 7'6* >c — 6'5*  — *- /y  K  — —  -^h'3" >i« 7'^* •>*<— *i'4* >l 


i* — 

\/t- 

f- 

Plan    and    Section    of    Robertson    Two    Unit   Conveyor   Cinder     Pit.       Note     Great    Saving     In     Excavation     and 

Concrete. 

(41) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


in  the  winter  time,  a  very  serious  draw- 
back in  either  of  the  other  types.  The 
installation  shown  herein  is  more  elab- 
orate and  expensive  than  necessary, 
having  entrance  holes  at  each  end  of  the 
cinder  pit  so  that  it  is  possible  for  a 
man  to  get  under  the  locomotive  from 
the  ends.  These  entrance  ways  are  pro- 
vided for  emergencies,  as  it  is  not  neces- 
sary for  a  man  to  go  under  the  locomo- 
tive to  pull  a  fire. 

In  the  table  the  comparative  cost  of 
excavation,  concrete,  etc.,  for  the  three 
types  of  pits  can  be  grasped  at  a 
glance. 

The  figures  used  for  concrete  and  ex- 
cavation can  be  changed  to  fit  various 
locations,  and  similar  comparisons 
made.  Where  the  excavation  would 
have  to  be  done  entirely  by  hand  it 
would  cost  under  present  labor  condi- 
tions more  than  75c  per  cu.  yd.,  and  the 
cost  of  concrete  might  be  higher. 
Where  concrete  is  placed  in  such  small 
quantities,  the  use  of  a  large  mixer  is 
not  justified  and  usually  the  concrete 
would  be  mixed  by  hand. 

These  figures  show  the  Initial  Econ- 
omy of  installing  the  Robertson  Con- 
veyor. The  summary  shows  the  aver- 
age cost  of  operation  of  these  three 
types  of  pits  at  23  locations,  in  which  the 
Ultimate  Economy  of  using  Robertson 
Conveyors  is  demonstrated  conclusive- 
ly. The  figures  from  the  Pere  Mar- 
quette  and  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Rail- 
roads are  authorized  figures  obtained 
from  the  railroad. 

The    initial    economy,    economy    of 


operation,  economy  in  depreciation  and 
interest  on  the  investment,  of  a  Robert- 
son Inclined  Track  Conveyor  are  shown 
clearly  in  the  above  figures.  A  summary 
of  these  figures  indicates  the  ultimate 
economy. 


COST  OF  CINDER  PIT  OPERATION. 


No. 
Pits. 


C.  &  O.  10 
P.  M.  R.  R.  5 
Illmo,  Mo.  1 


Total  Cost 
Operating 
Robertson 
Conveyor. 

$20,886.26 
8,820.00 
555.00 
1,017.32 
255.50 
871.00 


Chicago  1 

Memphis  1 

Macon  1 

Chicago  1 
Southern 

Points  3 

Totals    ....       $32,405.08 

(19  Pits) 

Aver,   per  pit  $1,705.00 


Operating 

Total  Cost  Locomo- 
Operating  tive  Crane. 
Hand  Pit. 

$44,376.94 
23,738.40 
2,555.00 
6,056.00 
3,066.00 
2,190.00 

$  4,380.00 

20,100.00 


$81,982.34  $24,480.00 
(19  Pits)  (4  Pits) 
$4,314.00  $6,120.00 


Average   Saving  in   Operation  of  Robertson 
Conveyor. 

Over  Hand  operation  on  19  pits  $2,609  per  pit. 
Over  Crane  operation  on  4  pits  $4,415  per  pit. 

Interest  and  Depreciation  on  Entire  Installation. 

On  Locomotive  Crane  Installation  (16%)  $2240.00 
On  Robertson  two  unit  Conveyor  (11%)  594.00 
On  Hand  Operated  Pit  (16%.) 1330.00 


SUMMARY. 

Crane  Pit.     Hand  Oper- 
ated Pit. 


Initial   Cost $2,079.00         $8,325.00 

Average  cost  op- 
eration per  year  6,120.00  4,314.00 

Interest  and  De- 
preciation, per 
year  2,240.00  1,330.00 


Robert- 
son Con- 
veyor Pit. 
$    927.00 

1,705.00 


594.00 


The  figures  used  herein  were  based 
on  costs  prevalent  in  1918,  both  for  labor 
and  material.  Labor  costs  are  now 
higher  and  material  costs  have  not  ap- 
preciably receded  from  those  prevalent 
at  that  time. 


(42) 


COMPARATIVE     COSTS 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON 
BUILDINGS.* 

Ashpits. 

The  ashpit  is  one  of  the  most  expen- 
sive structures  on  a  railroad  from  a 
maintenance  standpoint.  Therefore,  a 
great  deal  of  thought  should  be  given 
to  the  design. 

The  usual  procedure  at  an  ashpit  is 
to  drop  or  wash  the  hot  ashes  into  the 
pit,  and  this  heats  up  the  walls  and 
other  parts  of  the  structure.  Then  cold 
water  is  thrown  on  the  ashes  to  cool 
them.  This  rapid  cooling  causes  con- 


Vitrified  brick  facing  has  been  used, 
but  on  account  of  the  nature  of  the  work 
and  the  tools  used,  experience  shows 
that  it  is  soon  knocked  off. 

Slag  and  gravel  concrete  has  been 
used  in  place  of  limestone  concrete  and 
makes  a  good  substitute.  If  trap  rock 
is  available  it  makes  a  better  concrete 
than  either  of  the  above  materials. 
Various  Types  of  Pits: 

( 1 )  At  outlying  districts,  where  few 
engines  are  handled,  cast-iron  ties,  ap- 
proximately 12  inches  high,  are  used  to 
prevent    burning    wood    ties.      These 
should  be  located  on  spur  tracks. 

(2)  Pit  located  between  the  track 
rails,  of  length  to  suit  the  business  han- 
dled.    The  cinders  are  shoveled  out  on 


Fig.  1. 


Fig.  2. 


traction  in  the  material  of  which  the    the  track  level  and  loaded  by  hand  into 


structure  is  built,  and  when  repeated 
many  times  weakens  and  sometimes  de- 
stroys the  structure. 

Another  destructive  element  is  the 
sulphuric  acid  produced  by  the  water 
and  sulphur  in  the  ashes.  This  destroys 
the  steel  parts  (coming  in  contact  with 
it)  at  a  rapid  rate. 

Most  ashpits  are  built  of  concrete,  in 
which  limestone  is  a  principal  ingredi- 
ent. Hot  ashes  causes  this  limestone  to 
swell  and  disintegrate,  and  in  a  short 
time  the  concrete  will  begin  to  spall  off. 


*American  Railway  Engineering  Association. 


cars  or  loaded  into  barrows  and  wasted 
at  a  convenient  place. 

These  pits  are  sometimes  fitted  with 
buckets  which  are  handled  by  station- 
ary, traveling  or  gantry  cranes.  Where 
stationary  cranes  are  used,  track  is 
placed  in  the  bottom  of  the  pit,  buckets 
are  equipped  with  trucks  to  permit  of 
their  being  moved  to  the  crane  and 
loaded  into  cars. 

(3)  Pit  similar  to  Type  No.  2,  one 
side  open,  with  depressed  track  along- 
side; the  relative  location  of  the  top  of 
the  car  with  respect  to  the  floor  of  the 


(43) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


pit  to  be  such  as  to  give  the  easiest  shov-    mechanical  means,  the  cinder  bucket  or 


el  ing  condition. 


car  running  on  rails  placed  on  an  in- 


(4)     Depressed  pit  filled  with  water,    cline,   car   being   run   high   enough   to 
into  which   the   cinders   are   dropped,    dump  in  a  car  located  on  a  track  parallel 
One  feature  being  to  design  the  pit  so 
that  cinders  will  drop  directly  into  the 


Fig.  3. 

water  and  reach  the  main  body  of  the 
pit  freely.  Another  feature  being  the 
easy  removal  of  the  cinders  by  grab 
bucket  operated  either  by  a  gantry, 
traveling  or  locomotive  crane. 

Depth  of  water  in  pit  should  not  be 
more  than  5  feet  below  the  drainage 
outlet. 

Railing  or  iron  posts  with  chains 
hooked  between  to  be  placed  around 


PTT  WITH  GANTRY  CRANE. 
Fig.  5. 


Fig.  6. 

to    and    approximately    25-ft.    centers 

from  ash  track. 

General: 

All  types  of  pits  should  be  equipped 
with  water  supply  to  wet  down  the  hot 
cinders. 

To  warn  and  prevent  persons  from 
falling  into  the  pit  proper,  an  exten- 
sion floor  should  be  placed  under  track 
at  both  ends  of  all  pits.  This  floor  to 
be  inclined  on  a  20  per  cent  grade  for 
a  length  of  15  feet. 


Fig.  4. 


pits,  except  across  tracks  where  stand-        Where    twenty-five     (25)    or    more 

ard  clearance  diagram  is  to  be  followed,  engines    are    handled    in    twenty-four 

(5)     Pit  equipped  with  bucket  or  car  hours,  the  mechanical  handling  of  cin- 

located  under  the  track  and  hoisted  by  ders  is  recommended. 

(44) 


COMPARATIVE    COSTS 


So  Many  Men  Were  Drowned  In  This  Pit  That  Sec- 
tional Rafts  Were  Made  To  Cover  It.  The  Clam  Shell 
A/orks  In  a  9- Foot  Space  Between  Rafts.  Note  That 
the  Cinders  Floating  On  the  Water  Effectually  Camou- 
flage the  Water,  Making  it  Look  Like  Cinder  Covered 
Sround. 


(45) 


CHAPTER  VII 

On  the  Santa  Fe 


The  service  demands  on  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  System  are  severe. 
This  system  feeds  the  territory  from 
Chicago  to  the  coast.  Crossing  a  most 
rugged  country,  and  maintaining  the 
close  schedule  that  it  does,  this  company 
must  have  its  motive  power  subject  to 
delivery  on  notice.  This  is  one  thing 
that  is  to  be  found  at  practically  any 
terminal  on  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  ex- 
cept in  those  isolated  cases  where  mod- 


this  progressive  railroad,  where  the 
question  of  handling  cinders  has  been 
given  the  benefit  of  an  impartial  inves- 
tigation. 

Labor  conditions  on  this  road  have, 
of  course,  been  somewhat  similar  to  that 
on  other  roads,  in  that  it  was  impossible 
to  get  the  desired  supply;  and  the 
officials  of  the  Santa  Fe  have  shown 


Four  of  the  Six  Units  of  Robertson  Conveyors  at  the 
Large  Terminal  at  Argentine,  Kans.  This  Installation 
of  Robertson  Conveyors  Is  Saving  $26,300  Per  Year. 


The    Two    Additional    Units    of    Robertson    Conveyors 
at  Argentine,   Kans. 


ern  improvements  are  planned  but  not  themselves  to  be  keenly  alive  to  the  ad- 
yet  finished.  vantage    of    using    labor-saving    ma- 

The  class  of  power  on  this  railroad  is  chinery  and  equipment, 
varied,  the  preponderance  of  power  be-         The  cinder  pit  wage  has  advanced 

ing  engines  of  the  large  Pacific  type,  from  17c  per  hour  in  1916  to  as  high  as 

Fires  from  this  class  of  locomotives  are  43c  per  hour  at  present.     And  even  if 

necessarily  large,  and  soon  fill  an  old-  laborers  were  now  plentiful,  the  wages 

time,  hand  cinder  pit  to  the  congested  which  are  paid  for  cinder-pit  work  make 

point.    This  is  the  reason  for  the  rapid  it  necessary  to  reduce  the  number  of 

disappearance  of  this  type  of  pit  upon  laborers   so   far   as   humanly   possible. 

(46) 


ON      THE     SANTA     FE 


The  labor  saved  at  the  cinder  pit  can  be 
used  to  great  advantage  at  many  other 
places  in  a  large  terminal,  under  pres- 
ent conditions. 

In  many  districts  through  which  the 
Santa  Fe  System  goes,  the  class  of 
laborers  obtainable  is  not  very  satisfac- 
tory. Negroes,  Mexicans  and  Mexican 
Indians  probably  form  the  bulk  of  the 
labor  forces ;  and  the  great  trouble  with 
this  kind  of  labor  is  that  it  is  not  de- 


great  advantage  in  being  as  far  as  pos- 
sible independent  of  the  labor  supply  in 
a  terminal. 

At  the  locations  visited,  where  Rob- 
ertson Inclined  Track  Cinder  Convey- 
ors are  installed,  great  satisfaction  was 
shown  by  the  men  who  have  charge; 
and  at  points  where  Robertson  In- 
clined Track  Cinder  Conveyors  are  not 
yet  in,  and  wrhere  cinders  are  being 


Note  In  This  Installation  That  the  Cinders  Have  to 
oe  Shoveled  Up  from  the  Ground  and  Again  Shoveled 
Into  the  Cars.  And  Also  Note  the  Accumulation  of 
Cinders  Which  the  Men  Are  Trying  To  Remove. 


Here  Is  Another  Long  Expensive  Hand  Operated 
Pit,  With  Cinders  Enough  Accumulated  to  Keep  a 
Gang  of  Eight  Men  Busy  for  a  Week  Provided  No 
More  Cinders  Came  In. 


pendable  from  day  to  day.  The  men 
lay  off  frequently  and  without  giving 
notice,  and  it  is  extremely  difficult  to 
keep  a  terminal  running  smoothly  un- 
der these  conditions.  Hence,  there  is  a 


loaded  by  hand,  the  constant  query  is: 
when  are  we  going  to  get  our  Inclined 
Track  Cinder  Conveyors;  we  are  sure 
tired  of  this  miserable  way  of  handling 
cinders. 


COST   WITH    ROBERTSON    CONVEYOR,    18TH    ST.,    CHICAGO. 

1  man  days,  12  hours  @  37c  per  hour,  per  day $  4.44 

Cost  per  fire  (25  fires) .177 

FORMER  COST  WITH  HAND  OPERATED  PIT. 

3  men  days,  3  men  nights,  72  hours  @  37c  per  hr $  26.64 

Cost  per  fire 1.06 

Saving  per  fire  with  Robertson  Conveyor _.. .883 

Saving  per  year  with   Robertson  Conveyor. — — - '. 8,025.00 

(47) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


Robertson  Single  Unit  Conveyor  at  18th  St.,  Chicago. 
Only  25  Engines  Are  Handled  Here.  This  Conveyor  Is 
Saving  $8,206.00  Per  Year. 


Another    View    of    Robertson    Conveyor    at    18th    St., 
Chicago. 


18th  Street,  Chicago  They  handle  25  engines  per  24  hours 

The    18th    Street    terminal    of    the    with  a  single  unit  Robertson  Conveyor. 

Santa  Fe,  Chicago*  is  not  a  very  large     The  engines  do  not  bunch  up  very  bad- 


COST  WITH  ROBERTSON  CONVEYORS,  CORWITH  YARD. 

4   men    days   and   4   men   nights,   80   hours    @  37c  per  hour 

Cost  per  fire    (48   fires)   including  pulling   the  fires 

PREVIOUS  COST  WITH  HAND  PIT. 

6  men  days  and  6  men  nights,  120  hours  @  37^c  per  hour 

Cost  per  fire   (48  fires)  including  pulling  fires 


..$      29.60 
.615 

..$      44.40 
.925 


Saving  per   engine   with   Robertson   Conveyor    .31 

Per  year,  17,500  fires 5,430.00 


one,  being  used  mainly  for  passenger 
train  service. 


Another    View    of    Robertson    Inclined    Track    Cinder 
Conveyor  at  18th   St.,  Chicago. 


Here  They  Are  Trying  To  Take  Care  of  Cinders 
Without  Any  Pit  At  All,  Simply  Dumping  the  Fires  in 
the  Middle  of  the  Track  and  Piling  Them  Up  To  One 
Side.  These  Cinders  Will  Be  Shoveled  Two  Or  Three 
Times  Before  Finally  Disposed  Of. 


(48) 


ON      THE     SANTA     FE 


One   of   the    Three    Robertson    Conveyors    at   Corwith 
Yard.      These    Conveyors   Are    Saving   $5,430    Per   Year. 


The    Two    Other    Robertson    Conveyors    at    Corwith 
Yard. 


]\  so  that  the  single  unit  takes  care  of     units  at  a  point  where  25  engines  are 
the  engines  in  pretty  good  shape.     If     handled. 


COST  WITH   ROBERTSON   CONVEYOR.   CHILLICOTHE. 

1    man   days,   1   man    nights,    22    hours    @   43c  per  hour 

Cost  per  fire  (30  fires) 

LOADING  BY  HAND. 

5  men  days,  4  men  nights,  99  hours  @  43c 

Cost  per  fire 

Saving  per  fire  with  Robertson  conveyor — $1.42  —  32c  = 

Per  year,  10,950  engines 


9.46 
.316 

42.50 
1.42 
1.10 
12,045.00 


the  engines  did  hunch  up,  more  satisfac- 
tory results  would  be  obtained  with  two 


Electrically  Operated    Robertson   Conveyor  at  Gallup, 
N.    Mex.,   on   the   Santa    Fe. 


A  Hand  Operated  Cinder  Pit.  At  This  Location  It 
Was  Easy  To  Place  the  Cars  Lower  Than  Is  Usually 
Possible  With  a  Hand  Operated  Pit.  Even  at  This 
Pit,  However,  There  Will  Be  Noted  a  Large  Accumu- 
lation of  Cinders  Awaiting  for  Men. 


(49) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


Robertson  Conveyor  at  Lexington  Junction,  Mo., 
Which  Is  Saving  $3,760.00  In  Cinder  Pit  Labor  Charge 
Per  Year.  Note  Great  Saving  In  Excavation  Over  the 
Hand  Pit. 


Corwith  Terminal. 

At  Corwith,  they  despatch  about  46 
engines  per  day  of  24  hours.  They  have 
three  units  of  Robertson  Inclined  Track 
Cinder  Conveyors  in  use,  two  of  them 
located  close  together  and  the  third  lo- 


One  Look  At  This  Pit  Is  Enough  To  Show  How 
Difficult  It  Is  For  Men  To  Throw  Cinders  Up  Over  the 
Side  of  the  Car  In  Loading  Them.  It  Is  Also  Noted 
That  a  Good  M.iny  of  the  Cinders  Do  Not  Go  Over  the 
Car  But  Fall  Off  to  One  Side  and  Have  Just  About 
Got  the  Track  Buried  In  This  Illustration. 


Cinders  Will  Accumulate   In  a   Hand  Operated  Cinder 
Pit   and    Cause   Congestion    and    Trouble. 


cated  on  the  other  side  of  the  round- 
house near  the  coal  dock. 

Chillicothe.  111. 

About  30  engines  are  handled  here, 
per  day  of  24  hours.  A  two-unit  Rob- 
ertson Inclined  Track  Cinder  Conveyor 
is  provided  at  this  point,  where  the 


An     Exceedingly     Long     Hand    Operated    Cinder    Pit 
Showing  the   Usual   Accumulation  of  Cinders. 


(50) 


ON      THE     SANTA     FE 


COST  WITH  ROBERTSON  CONVEYORS,  SHOPTON 

1   man   days,   1   man   nights,   20  hours  @  43c  per  hour  

Cost  per  fire  (50  fires  per  day) 


FORMER  COST  BY  HAND  OPERATED  PIT. 

11  men  days,  8  men  nights,  209  hours  @  43c  per  hour  

Cost  per  fire •. 

Saving  per  fire  with  Robertson  Conveyors 

Saving  per   year  with   Robertson   Conveyor     


8.60 
.17 


&  89.87 
1.80 
1.63 

29,600.00 


labor  conditions  were  formerly  very  un- 
satisfactory. 

Shopton,  Fort  Madison,   Iowa. 

At  this  point  they  handle  50  fires  per 


terminal.  One  double  and  one  single 
unit,  making  three  units  in  all  of  Rob- 
ertson Inclined  Track  Cinder  Convey- 
ors were  provided  to  take  care  of  the 
work. 

Practically    no    extra,    labor    is    em- 
ployed here  for  the  purpose  of  loading 


Close-up    View    of   One    of   the    Robertson    Conveyors 
at   Corwith,    III. 

day  and  with  a  hand-operated  pit,  19 

men  were  required  to  load  the  cinders. 

This  is  a,  very  busy  and  important 


Note  Exceedingly  Serious  Accumulation  of  Cinders 
In  This  Hand  Operated  Pit.  The  Laborers  Had  All 
Quit  Here  On  Account  of  the  Way  the  Work  Piled  Up 
and  the  Problem  Is  Now  to  Find  Somebody  to  Load 
These  Cinders  and  Make  the  Pit  Ready  for  the  Next 
Engines  Which  Come  In. 

cinders  with  the  Robertson  Conveyors, 
the  work  being  done  by  the  fireknock- 
er's  helpers;  so  that  the  cost  of  loading 


COST  WITH   ROBERTSON  CONVEYOR,  LEXINGTON  JCT.,  MO. 
No  men  required. 

Yearly  maintenance $ 

Cost  per  fire 


10.00 
.0034 


FORMER  COST  WITH  HAND  OPERATED  PIT. 

1  man  days,  1  man  nights,  43c  per  hour $       10.32 

Cost  per  fire  (8  fires) 1.29 

Saving  per  fire  with  Robertson  Conveyors 1.29 

Saving  per  year  with  Robertson  Conveyors 3,760.00 

(51) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


COST  WITH  ROBERTSON  CONVEYORS,  ARGENTINE. 

8  men  days,  8  men  nights,  43c  per  hour,  24  hours  per  day 

Cost  per  fire   (50  fires)  including  pulling  fires 

PREVIOUS  COST  OF  HANDLING  PITS. 

15  men  days,  15  men  nights  @  43c  per  hour 

Cost  per  fire ; 

Saving  per  fire  with  Robertson  Conveyors. 


82,56 
1.65 


154.30 
3.09 
1.84 


Saving  per  year  with  Robertson  Conveyors — 18,300  engines 26,300.00 


cinders  is  practically  nothing.  We  have 
assumed,  however,  that  the  time  of  one 
man  days  and  one  nights  will  be  charged 
to  loading. 

Lexington  Junction,  Mo. 

At  Lexington  Junction  there  is  a 
small  terminal  with  only  one  unit  of  the 
Robertson  Inclined  Track  Cinder  Con- 
veyor. They  only  handle  8  engines  per 
day  here.  It  is  interesting  to  note  the 
savings  which  may  be  made  at  a  point 
even  where  so  few  as  8  locomotives  are 
being  handled. 

Argentine  Shops,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

They  have  four  single-unit  Robert- 
son Conveyors  and  one  double  unit 
Robertson  Conveyor  at  this  point,  which 
is  a  large  terminal. 

They  handle  100  engines  per  day  here 
and  16  men  are  employed  who  clean 


the  fires,  attend  the  pans  and  operate 
the  conveyors. 

The  former  arrangement  consisted  of 
two  long  pits.  The  cinders  were  load- 
ed into  large  buckets,  and  then  lifted 
and  dumped  by  an  electric  hoist. 

Summary. 

These  figures  show  in  a  general  way, 
as  would  be  expected,  that  the  larger 
and  busier  the  terminal,  the  greater  the 
amount  of  money  to  be  saved  with  Rob- 
ertson Inclined  Track  Cinder  Convey- 
ors. 

An  installation  for  only  eight  en- 
gines is  shown  to  be  very  profitable  at 
Lexington  Junction,  Mo. 

The  Robertson  Inclined  Track  Cin- 
der Conveyors  illustrated  are  made  by 
William  Robertson  &  Co.,  Great 
Northern  Bldg.,  Chicago. 

The   Santa   Fe  has   installations'  of 


SUMMARY  OF   SAVINGS. 

Cost  Per 
Engine 
Hand 
Cinder  Pit. 

Cost  Per 
Engine 
Robertson 
Pit. 

Saving  per 
Engine  with 
Robertson 
Conveyor 

Saving  per 
Year  with 
Robertson 
Conveyor 

18th  St.,   Chicago 

$1.0(1 
0.925 
1.420 
1.800 
1.290 

3.090 

$0.177 
0.615 
0.316 
0.170 
Fire  Knockers 
Operate 
1.650 

$0.883 
0.310 
1.110 
1.630 
1.290 

1.840 

$  8,206.00 
5,430.00 
12,045.00 
29,600.00 
3,760.00 

26,300.00 

*Corwith,  111  

Chillicothe,  111  

Shopton,  la  

Lexington  Jet,  Mo.  .. 

*Argentine  Shops  

Total  ....                                           $85  341  00 

*  Includes  cost  of  pulling  fires. 

(52) 


ON     THE      SANTA     FE 


Robertson  conveyors  at  Lexington  Jet.,  Arkansas  City,  Ark. ;  Corwith,  111. ; 
Mo.;  Wichita,  Ivans.;  Emporia,  Ivans.;  Las  Vegas,  N.  M.;  Argentine  Yard; 
Gallup,  N.  M.;  Tulsa,  Okla.;  Pekin,  Chicago,  111.;  Shopton,  la.;  Chilli- 
Ill.;  Guthrie,  Okla.;  Topeka,  Ivans.;  cothe,  111. 


(53) 


CHAPTER   VIII 

On  the  Chesapeake  &  Ohio 


On  July  16,  1915,  a  Robertson  Con-     the  conveyor  was  installed,  it  indicated 


veyor  was  loaded  on  cars  for  the  Chesa-     a  saving  of  $2,749.40  per  year, 
peake  &  Ohio  Ry.  for  installation  at 
Peach  Creek,  W.  Va. 

They   had   been   loading   cinders   at 
this  place  by  hand,  which  required  three 


Following  the  installation  at  Peach 
Creek,  a  conveyor  was  shipped  to  Hunt- 


Robertson  Conveyor  at  Peach  Creek,  W.  Va.,  Which 
In  1918  Was  Saving  $2,749.00  Per  Year,  With  Wages 
at  21c  Per  Hour.  At  37c  Per  Hour  This  Conveyor  Will 
Save  $4,840.00  Per  Year. 


Robertson  Conveyor  at  Peach  Creek,  W.  Va.,  Show- 
ing Flooding  System.  Here  the  Cinders  Are  Flooded 
As  They  Are  Dropped  Into  the  Gondola  Car. 


men  by  day  and  three  by  night,  or  six  ington,  W.  Va.,  Oct.  20,  1915,  which 

laborers,  who  received  21c  per  hour,  and  made  a  reduction  of  2  men  in  the  cin- 

an  additional  gang  of  men  for  cleaning  der-pit  force  and  showed  a  saving  of 

up  twice  a  month.    Thirty-five  engines  $1,829.60  per  year, 

are  handled  every  24  hours.    As  soon  as  January    14,    1916   a   conveyor   was 


LOADING  CINDERS  AT  PEACH  CREEK  BY  HAND. 

7    men    at    21c    per    hour,    12    hours    per    day,  365  days 

WITH   ROBERTSON  CONVEYOR. 

4   men  at  21c  per  hour,   12   hours   per  day,   365  days 

Maintenance  of  the  conveyor  during  the  year 


Total  cost  of  handling  cinders  by  conveyor. 

Cost  by  hand 

Cost  with  Robertson  Conveyor 


Amount  saved  in  one  year  by  Robertson  Conveyor  (1917) 

Increased   wages  now  paid   at   Peach    Creek,   ....c  per  hour 

Increased  saving  possible  with  Robertson  Conveyor,  wages  37c  per  hour. 

(54) 


.$6,438.60 

..$3,679.20 
10.00 

.$3,689.20 
$6,438.60 
.  3,689.20 

.$2,749.40 
.  4,840.00 


ON     THE     CHESAPEAKE     &     OHIO 


shipped  to  Peru,  Ind. ;  May  24,  two 
conveyors  were  shipped  to  Hinton,  W. 
Va.;  July  17,  a  conveyor  was  shipped 
to  Lexington,  Ky. ;  October  21,  a  con- 
veyor was  shipped  to  Paintsville,  Ky.; 
and  November  24,  a  conveyor  was 
shipped  to  Charlottes ville,  Va. 

January  27th,  1917,  a  conveyor  was 
shipped  to  Boston,  Ind.;  March  5th,  a 
conveyor  was  shipped  to  Gladstone, 
W.  Va. ;  June  loth,  two  conveyors  were 
shipped  to  Russell,  Ky. ;  June  21st,  two 


the  figures'  obtained  on  handling  cin- 
ders at  the  several  locations  investi- 
gated, showing  how  the  figures  were  ob- 
tained in  each  case,  so  that  the  reader 
may  check  up  the  statements  made. 

Handling  Cinders  at   Huntingdon, 
W.   Va. 

The  terminal  at  this  place  handles  43 
engines  every  24  hours. 

Previously,  under  hand  operation  6 


Robertson  Conveyor  at  Peru,  Ind.  Conveyor  Cart 
Just  Starting  Up  Incline  With  Its  Load.  This  Con- 
veyor Was  Saving  $1,806.00  Per  Year  In  1918  When  the 
Wage  Rate  Was  21c  Per  Hour.  At  the  Rate  of  37c 
Per  Hour  This  Conveyor  Will  Show  a  Saving  of 
$3,180.00. 


Robertson   Cinder  Conveyor  at  Peach   Creek,  W.   Va., 
Dumping    Its    Load. 


conveyors   were   shipped   to   Handley; 


men  were  required  and  this  force  was 
reduced  to  four  after  the  conveyor  was 
installed.  The  engines  are  gotten  into 

June  2nd,  another  conveyor  was  shipped  the  sh°P  much  sooner,  no  longer  being 
to  Hinton;  and  two  conveyors  to  Sum-  delayed  on  the  cinder  pit  as  they  were 
mit,  Ohio.  The  Chesapeake  &  Ohio  in  the  past. 

now  has  28  Robertson  Conveyors.  On  the  hand  operated  pit  only  35  en- 

This  succession  of  constantly  recur-    gines  could  be  handled  without  conges- 
ring  orders  shows  better  than  any  argu-    tion,  while  with  the  Robertson  Convey- 


ment,  the  success  of  handling  cinders 
with  Robertson  conveyors  on  the  Ches- 
apeake &  Ohio  Ry. 

Below  we  give  a  short  description  and 


or  as  many  engines  can  be  handled  as 
the  fire  knockers  can  take  care  of.  The 
cost  figures  are  given  in  the  table  which 
follows : 


(55) 


3T/tT/4AJ 
C/TY,  /f/?AS. 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


LOADING  CINDERS  AT  HUNTINGTON,  W.  VA.,  BY  HAND. 
6  men    at   21c   per   hour,    12   hours    per    day,    365  days $5,518.80 

WITH  ROBERTSON   CONVEYOR. 

-1    men    at   21c    per    hour,    12    hours    per    day,    365  days $3,679.20 

Maintenance  of  conveyor  during  the  year 10.00 


Actual   saving  in   cost  of  labor   through   use  of  Robertson   Conveyor   (1917) 

Increased  savings  possible  with   Robertson   Conveyor,   wages  37c  per  hour 


$3,689.20 

$1,829.60 

$3,230.00 


Handling  Cinders  at  Peru,  Ind. 

Twenty- three  engines  are  handled 
daily  at  this  terminal,  and  by  hand  it 
required  two  men  days  and  two  men 


the   labor  requirements   in  half.     One 
man  takes  care  of  the  loading  of  cinders 


Robertson  Double  Unit  Conveyor  at  Hinton,  W.  Va., 
in  the  Foreground,  and  Single  Unit  Conveyor  In  Dis- 
tance. This  Conveyor  Was  Saving  $4,479.00  Per  Year 
in  1918  When  Cinder  Pit  Laborers  Were  Paid  20'/2c 
Per  Hour.  At  37c  Per  Hour  This  Conveyor  Will  Save 
$8,100.00  Per  Year. 


Robertson  Conveyor  at  Peach  Creek,  W.  Va.,  Coming 
Back  to  Seat  In  the  Pit  Ready  For  Load. 

nights;    four   men   per   day,    21    cents 

per  hour.  and  does  the  work  easily.     The  main- 

The  installation  of  the  conveyor  cut    tenance   cost   of  the   conveyor   at  this 


LOADING  CINDERS  AT  PERU,  IND.,  BY  HAND 

4  men  at  21c  per  hour.  12  hours  per  day,  365   days 

Maintenance  of  hand  pit  (not  obtainable). 

WITH  ROBERTSON  CONVEYOR 

2  men  at  21c  per  hour,  12  hours  per  day,  365  days 

Maintenance  labor  per  year,  $5.00.     Three  packing  leathers,  $28.20.... 


.$3,679.20 


.$1,839.60 
33.20 


Cost  by  hand 

Cost  by  conveyor. 


$1,872.80 
.$3,679.20 
.  1,872.80 


Saving   through   use   of   Robertson   conveyor    (1917)    _ 

Increased  wages  now  paid  at  Peru,  c  per  hour. 

Increased  savings  possible  with  Robertson   Conveyor,  wages  37c  per  hour. 

(58) 


.$1,806.40 
.$3,180.00 


ON     THE     CHESAPEAKE     &     OHIO 


point  was  $33.20  during  the  last  year. 
Cost  of  maintenance  of  the  hand-oper- 
ated pit  was  not  obtainable,  but  couldn't 
have  been  any  less  than  this  figure. 

The  comparative  costs  are  shown  in 
the  table. 

Handling  Cinders  at  Hinton,  W.  Va. 

Hinton,  W.  Va.  contains  some  pretty 
good  sized  shops,  which  take  care  of 


a  large  amount  of  supervision.  The 
installation  of  the  Robertson  conveyors 
has  eliminated  engine  congestion  at  the 
pit,  and  reduced  the  cost  of  loading 
cinders  per  yard  from  17c  to  about  5c. 
Under  hand  operation  7  men  were 
required  to  handle  forty  engines  per 
day,  but  with  Robertson  conveyors  67 
engines  may  easily  be  handled,  or  even 
more  if  the  fires  can  be  knocked  fast 
enough. 


Another     View     of     Robertson     Conveyor     at     Peach 
Creek,    W.    Va. 


work  for  two  divisions  and  show  effi- 
ciency in  handling  65  engines  every  24 
hours.  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyors, 
consisting  of  one  double  and  one  single 
unit,  are  installed  at  this  location. 
Laborers  were  paid  20%c  per  hour  in 
1917  and  under  hand  operation  required 


A  Hand  Pit  Full  of  Water  and  Which  Is  Out  of 
Service  For  This  Reason.  Compare  the  Difficulty  of 
Draining  This  Large  Cinder  Pit  With  the  Small  Exca- 
vation Required  for  a  Robertson  Conveyor.  Also 
Note  That  the  Robertson  Conveyor  Will  Work  Temp- 
orarily Even  Though  the  Pit  Is  Under  Water,  While 
With  the  Flooded  Hand  Pit  the  Laborers  Can't  Get 
In  It  To  Do  Any  Work  At  All. 

Handling   Cinders  at  Lexington,    Ky. 

The  terminal  at  Lexington  is  not  very 
large,  20  engines  being  handled  each 
24  hours. 


LOADING    CINDERS    AT    HINTON,    W.   VA.,   BY    HAND 
7  men  at  20l/2c  per  hour,   12  hours  per  day,  365  days $6,285.30 

WITH  ROBERTSON  CONVEYOR 

2  men  at  20J^c  per  hour,  12  hours  per  day,   365    days ~ _ $1,795.80 

Maintenance  during  year _ - _ 10.00 


Total 


_ _ $1,805.80 

Saving    with    Robertson    Conveyor    (1917) _ —$4,479.50 

Increased  savings  possible  with   Robertson  Conveyor  at  37c  per  hour  wage  rate $8,100.00 

(59) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


The  labor  requirements  here  were  cut 
in  two  when  the  Robertson  conveyor 
was  installed,  and  the  cost  was  reduced 
in  about  the  same  proportion. 

The  pit  men  clean  up  the  ground 
around  the  pit  and  around  the  ash  pans. 
It  only  requires  two  minutes  to  operate 
the  conveyor  for  each  locomotive. 

With  the  hand  pit  here  previously,  a 
locomotive  crane  was  used  to  load  the 
cinders  after  they  had  accumulated. 

Below  are  the*  figures  showing  cost 
before  and  after  installing  Robertson 
conveyors. 

Handling  Cinders  at  Charlottesville, 
Virginia. 

At  this  point  46  engines  are  handled 
every  24  hours,  the  engines  operating 
on  the  two  divisions  which  enter  this 
place.  Two  Robertson  conveyors  are 
needed  for  this  work. 

With  the  former  hand  pit,  which  was 


and  even  these  caused  some  litfie  con- 
gestion, whereas  the  inclined  convey- 
ors will  take  care  of  all  the  engines 
which  come  in  and  have  plenty  of  time 
to  spare. 

The  following  are  the  costs  as  ob- 
tained under  hand  operation  and  the 
costs  of  handling  the  pit  with  Robert- 
son conveyor  after  reducing  the  num- 
ber of  men  to  two. 


LOADING     CINDERS     AT     CHAR- 
LOTTESVILLE, VA.,  BY   HAND. 

4  men  at  19c  per  hour,  12  hours  per 

day,   365   days   $3,328.80 

WITH  ROBERTSON  CONVEYORS. 

2  men  at  19c  per  hour,  12  hours  per 

day,    365    days    $1,664.40 

Maintenance    per    year    10.00 


$1,674.40 
Total    saving    through    the    use    of 

Robertson    conveyor    $1,654.40 

Increased  wages  now  paid  at  Char- 
lottesville — c  per  hour 

Increased  savings  possible  with 
Robertson  Conveyors  at  37c  per 
hour  wage  rate $3,200.00 


LOADING  CINDERS  AT  LEXINGTON,  KY.,  BY  HAND. 

4  men  at  18c  per  hour.  12  hours  per  day,  365      days  ....$3,153.60 

Crane  work,  per  year 45.00 

Total  cost  of  operating  hand  pit,  per  year $3,198.60 

WITH   ROBERTSON   CONVEYOR. 

2  men  at  18c  per  hour,  12  hours  per  day,  305    days  $1,576.80 

Maintenance  of  conveyor  during  year _ 10.00 

Total $1,586.80 

Saving    per    year    with    Robertson    Conveyor     (1917)     $1.611.80 

Increased  savings  possible  with   Robertson   Conveyor,  wages  37c  per  hour $3,300.00 


congested  most  of  the  time,  they  had 
four  men  regularly  throughout  the  year 
working  twelve  hours  per  day,  and  one 
extra  man  in  the  winter;  whereas  the 
Robertson  cinder  conveyors  will  handle 
the  work  with  two  men. 

Not  over  46  engines  could  be  han- 
dled at  the  former  hand  operated  pit 


Handling  Cinders  at  Boston,  Ind. 

At  this  place  they  formerly  had  no 
pit  and  simply  dumped  the  cinders  in 
the  middle  of  the  track  and  piled  them 
up.  Then  when  they  got  a  chance,  they 
brought  in  a  locomotive  crane  and  a 
clam  shell  bucket  and  picked  up  what 
they  could  and  loaded  it  into  the  car. 


(60) 


ON     THE     CHESAPEAKE     &     OHIO 


Whenever  the  crane  was  in  operation, 
two  men  were  required  to  steer  the  clam 
shell  down  onto  the  pile  of  cinders. 
Often  they  had  to  load  the  clam  shell 
with  a  scoop  because  the  cinders  were 
not  high  enough  for  the  clam  shell  to 
take  hold;  and  the  track  had  to  jbe 
cleaned  up  by  hand  shaveling,  The 
crane,  besides  its  overhead  expense,  re- 
quired a  couple  of  hours  repairs  and 
maintenance  every  week. 

The  conveyor  here  took  the  place  of 
the  crane  and  greatly  improved  condi- 
tions all  around.  The  cost  for  handling 
cinders  is  given  below,  as  well  as  the 
savings  with  the  Robertson  conveyor. 


LOADING  CINDERS  AT  BOSTON, 
IND.,    BY    HAND. 

1   crane,  maintenance   per  year $      53.56 

3  men,  21c  per  hour,   12  hours  per 

day,    365    days    2,759.40 


Cost    per   year    $2,812.96 

WITH    ROBERTSON    CONVEYOR. 

1  man  at  21c  per  hour,  12  hours  per 

day,    365    days    $    919.80 

Maintenance    per    year    10.00 


$    929.80 

Saving    with    conveyor $1,883.16 

Increased  savings  possible  with 
Robertson  Conveyor  at  37c  per 
hour  wage  rate $3,230.00 


Handling  Cinders  at  Gladstone,  Va. 

At  Gladstone  the  former  hand  oper- 
ated cinder  pit  was  built  with  a  solid 
concrete  wall  under  the  track,  and 
although  a  well-built  pit,  investigation 
indicated  that  a  Robertson  conveyor 
would  be  a  money  saver. 

Two  laborers  were  formerly  required 
here  in  the  summer  and  three  in  the 
winter,  working  12  hours  per  day,  and 
29  engines  are  handled,  which  come  in 


over  two  divisions.  The  conditions  at 
the  cinder  pit  make  the  cost  high;  com- 
parative costs  are  given  in  the  table  be- 
low: 


LOADING  CINDERS  AT  GLADSTONE, 
VA..  BY  HAND 

2  men  at  19c  per  hour,  12  hours 

per  day,  365  days  $1,664.40 

1  additional  man  6  months  per  year 
in  the  winter  at  19c  per  hour, 
181  days  - 412.68 


Total   cost  of  handling  cinders   by 

hand    $2,077.08 

WITH    ROBERTSON    CONVEYOR. 

1  man   1   hour  and  10  minutes  per 

day  at  21c  per  hour  $      89.46 

Maintenance  per  year  10.00 


Total    $      99.46 

Saving  with  Robertson  Conveyor.. ..$1,977.62 
Increased     savings     possible     with 
Robertson    Conveyor   at   37c   per 
hour  wage   rate $3.480.00 


The  fire  knocker  can  handle  this  con- 
veyor at  practically  no  cost.  When  he 
gets  through  cleaning  a  fire  he  simply 
presses  the  button  and  the  cinders  are 
dumped  and  the  bucket  comes  back  to 
place;  and  he  is  then  ready  to  clean  the 
next  fire.  It  does  not  require  over  two 
minutes  of  the  fire  knocker's  time  to 
dump  the  bucket. 

Handling  Cinders  at  Handley,  W.  Va. 

At  Handley  they  handle  an  average 
of  39  engines  every  twenty-four  hours. 
Three  divisions  enter  this  place  and 
there  were  formerly  two  hand-operated 
pits. 

Trouble  was  experienced  here  with 
labor  and  an  arrangement  was  made 
whereby  the  railroad  payed  75c  (in 
1917)  for  cleaning  an  engine  and  load- 
ing the  cinders  into  the  car;  and  this 
has  made  the  company  an  appreciable 


(61) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


LOADING  CINDERS  AT  HANDLEY, 
W.  VA.,  BY  HAND 

8  men  at  21c  per  hour,  12  hours  per 

day,   365    days   $7,358.40 

WITH  ROBERTSON  CONVEYORS. 

4  men  at  21c  per  hour,  12  hours  per 

day,    365    days    $3,679.20 

Maintenance  during  year  10.00 


$3,689.20 

Saving  with  Robertson  Conveyor... .$3,669.20 
Increased     savings     possible     with 
Robertson  Conveyors  at  37c  per 
hour  wage   rate $6.480.00 


yearly  saving  and  reduced  the  number 
of  men  on  the  pit.  The  installation  of 
provided  at  this  point. 

Eight  laborers  were  formerly  re- 
quired here  under  hand  operation, 
working  twelve  hours  per  day,  while 


the  Robertson  conveyor  requires  only 
four.  The  wages  of  these  laborers 
were  formerly  21c  per  hour. 

Three  units  of  cinder  conveyors  are 
provided  at  this  point. 

The  succession  of  orders  which  the 
Chesapeake  &  Ohio  has  made  for  Rob- 
ertson Cinder  Conveyors  indicates  very 
plainly  the  satisfaction  it  is  giving  and 
the  prompt  and  keen  foresight  of  the 
officials  of  this  road  in  adopting  labor 
and  money  saving  appliances. 

The  1917  figures  given  herein  were 
checked  by  the  Chesapeake  &  Ohio  Ry. 

The  Chesapeake  &,  Ohio  Ry.  has  28 
Robertson  conveyors  at  different  points 
on  its  lines. 


SUMMARY    OF   ROBERTSON    CONVEYOR    SAVINGS    ON   THE 
CHESAPEAKE   &    OHIO. 

Location 

On  Basis  of  1917  Wages 

Increased  Sav- 
ing on  37c  an 
Hour  Wage 
Rate 

Annual    Cost 
With 
Hand   Pit 

Annual    Cost 
With  Robertson 
Pit 

Annual   Saving 
With 
Robertson  Pit 

Peach  Creek,  \V.  Va 

$6,438.60 
5,518.80 
3,679.20 
6,285.30 
3,198.60 
3,328.80 
2,813.96 
2,077.08 
7,358.40  . 

$3,689.20 
3,689.20 
1,872.80 
1,805.80 
1,586.80 
1,674.40 
919.80 
99.46 
3,689.20 

$2,749.40 
1,829.60 
1,806.40 
4,479.50 
1,611.80 
1,654.40 
1,883.16 
1,977.62 
3,669.20 

$4,840.00 
3,<230.00 
3,180.00 
8,100.00 
3,300.00 
3,200.00 
3,230.00 
3,480.00 
6,480.00 

Huntington    \V    Va 

Peru,  Ind  

Hinton,  W    Va 

Lexington,  Ky  

Charlottesville    Va 

Boston,  Ind  

Gladstone,  W.  Va  

Handley,  W.  Va  

Total  .                               $39,040.00 

CHAPTER  IX 


On  the  Pere  Marquette 


Conditions  in  the  railway  field  5 
ago  gave  indications  of  what  has 
since  happened.  Wages  were  going  up 
and  rates  were  going  down — or  remain- 
ing stationary. 

Cost  of  material  as  well  as  of  labor 
was  on  the  increase.  These  things  nat- 


not  nearly  as  strong  as  today.  Many 
new  labor  and  money-saving  appliances 
were  installed.  And  through  the  great 
economies  effected  by  this  and  other 
means,  the  status  of  this  railroad  was 
remarkably  improved  in  the  short  pe- 
riod of  five  vears. 


Showing  the  Three  Double  Conveyors  of  the  Robertson  Inclined  Track  Type  on  the  Pere  Marquette  R.  R. 
at  Grand  Rapids.  The  Number  of  Laborers  at  This  Place  Was  Reduced  From  Six  to  Two  Men  When  tha 
Robertson  Inclined  Track  Conveyors  Were  Installed.  The  Amount  of  Money  Saved  Totals  Over  $7,400.00 
a  year.  The  Pit  Which  Was  Originally  at  This  Place  Was  a  First  Class  Hand  Pit  and  Probably  Operated 
as  Cheaply  as  Any  Hand  Pit  Could  Be.  Three  Engines  May  Dump  Their  Cinders  at  One  Time  At  This 
Pit,  and  This,  With  the  Fact  That  the  Cinders  Can  Be  Dumped  From  the  Bucket  in  About  30  Seconds 
Means  That  There  Is  a  Very  Large  Capacity  and  That  Many  Locomotives  Can  Be  Handled  With  the  Abso- 
lute Minimum  of  Labor. 


urally  caused  far-sighted  railway  offi- 
cials to  adopt  labor  and  money  saving 
appliances  in  ever-increasing  amounts. 
The  Pere  Marquette  R.  R.  was  near 
the  head  of  this  movement,  even  though 
at  that  time  its  financial  position  was 


One  of  the  most  important  points  at 
which  remarkable  savings  were  effected, 
was  in  the  cinder  pits.  While  the  rate 
per  hour  at  the  pits  was  small  at  that 
time,  many  men  were  required  to  shovel 
cinders  and  the  aggregate  wages  paid 


(63) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


amounted  to  an  attention-compelling 
figure.  It  was  found  that  shoveling 
cinders  at  only  5  terminals  cost  them 
$94,953.60  in  4  years.  It  was  then  seen 
that  much  money  could  be  saved  by  re- 
ducing the  number  of  laborers  em- 
ployed. The  rate  could  not  be  reduced 


at  each  terminal  by  3  or  5  men,  but 
eliminated  all  the  hand-cinder-pit  night 
men  and  relieved  engine  congestion. 

Engines  were  out  on  time,  repairs 
could  be  made  in  the  time  allowed  and 
traffic  began  to  move  arid  arrive  on 
time. 


Two   Cars  of  Robertson    Inclined   Track   Conveyors   Shown   in   Previous   Picture,   Both   Dumping   Load  at  Same 

Time.     Note  Perfect  Working  of  Conveyor  Indicated    by    Positions    of    Both    Cars    at    Same    Place    on 

Their  Tracks.      Only   One   Operator    Is   Necessary. 


as  there  would  then  not  be  any  laborers 
to  be  had.  The  problem  was  simply  to 
find  ways  and  means  of  reducing  the 
number  of  laborers  on  the  cinder  pits. 

The  way  showed  up  in  the  form  of 
Robertson  Inclined  Track  Cinder  Con- 
veyors. These  conveyors  not  only  re- 
duced the  number  of  laborers  required 


The  moving  of  traffic  on  time  soon 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  shipping 
public  and  the  road  was  increasingly 
patronized.  An  idea  of  the  saving 
which  was  made  up  to  1917  at  5  term- 
inals, Detroit,  Pt.  Huron,  Saginaw, 
Ludington  and  Grand  Rapids,  Mich., 
is  given  in  the  following  table: 


(64) 


ON     THE     PERE     M  A  R  Q  U  E  T  T  E 


COST  OF 

Place 
Detroit 

LOADING  C 
No. 
Men 
6 

INDERS  BY  HAND   (1917) 

Hours                                           Cost 
Worked  Rate     Per  Day       Per  Year 
12         29^          $21.24            $7,646.40 
12          23                   5.52               1,987.20 
11          23                15.18              5,464.80 
12          20                  9.60              3,456.00 
12          20                14.10              5,184.00 

Per 

4  Years 
$30,585.60 
7,948.80 
21,859.20 
13,824.00 
20,736.00 

Pt    Huron                          

2 

Saginaw                        

6 

Luding'ton 

4 

Grand  Rapids 

6 

Total                     

..$23.738.40 

$94,953.60 

(1917) 
Per 
4  Years 
$10,195.20 
3,974.40 
7,286.40 
6,912.00 
6,912.00 

COST  OF  LOADING 

Place 
Detroit                             

CINDERS  V\ 
No. 
Men 
2 

riTH  ROBERTSON  CONVEYORS 

Hours                                         Cost 
Worked  Rate     Per  Day       Per  Year 
12          29^          $7.08            $2,548.80 
12          23                2.76                 993.60 
11          23                5.06              1,821.60 
12          20                4.80              1,728.00 
12          20                4.80              1,728.00 

Pt    Huron 

.....1 

Saginaw 

0 

Ludington                               

2 

Grand  Rapids 

2 

Total                                   

.  $8,820.00 

$35,280.00 
$94,953.60 

Cost  4  years  by    hand            

Cost  4  years  with    Robertson 
Saving    with    Robertson    co 

conveyor  

35,280.00 

nveyors  

$59  673  60 

This  table  shows  the  earnings  made 
by  the  Robertson  Inclined  Track  Cinder 
Conveyor  over  the  hand  cinder  pit  at 
the  rates  of  20c  to  30c  per  hour,  as  paid 
in  1917. 

Since  then  we  have  had  our  great 
war,  extreme  labor  shortage,  (which 
has  hit  every  hand  cinder  pit  in  the 


United  States  of  America  hard)  and 
unheard-of  wage  increases. 

The  wage  of  cinder  pit  laborers  has 
jumped  up  to  37c  and  43c  per  hour. 

According  to  the  present  rates  paid 
at  the  places  mentioned  in  the  1917 


Robertson  Cinder  Conveyors  at  Waterville,  Maine, 
in  a  Cold  Country,  Operated  by  Compressed  Air.  The 
Maine  Central  R.  R.  Has  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyors  Note  the  Accumulation  of  Cinders  In  and  All  Around 

Operating     Satisfactorily    with     Both     Electricity    and       This    Cinder    Pit.      The    Lone    Laborer    Obtainable    is 
Compressed  Air.  Hopelessly  Snowed  Under. 

(65) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


table,  the  money  now  being  saved  in  a 
five  year  period,  would  be  as  shown  in 
the  table  on  page  68  on  a  3  shift  day— 
8  hours  to  the  shift. 

Handling  Cinders  at  Detroit,  Mich. 

This  terminal  is  equipped  with  a 
double-unit  Robertson  Inclined  Track 
Cinder  Conveyor. 

They  despatch  20  engines  every  24 


Cost  of  Loading  Cinders  By  Hand  at 

Detroit,  Mich.,  1917. 

No.  Men        Rate  per  Hour         Cost  per  Year 
6  2<Al/2C  $7,646.60 

With  Robertson  Conveyor,  1917. 

2  29l/2c  $2,'548.80 

Saving  per  year  with  Robertson 

Conveyor,  1917  $5,097.60 


Handling  Cinders  at  Port  Huron,  Mich. 

This  terminal  is  small,  only  handling 
13   engines  per  day.     They  have  one 


Front  View  of  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  at  De- 
troit, Mich.  In  1917  This  Installation  Was  Making  a 
Saving  of  $5,097.00  When  Labor  Was  27J/2c  Per  Hour. 
Present  Rate  43c — Saving  Is  $7,410.00  Per  Year. 


hours;  3  men  work  3  shifts  of  8  hours 
each.  These  men  operate  the  conveyors, 
clean  up  the  surroundings  and  help 
clean  fires.  The  actual  time  spent  by 
each  man  on  the  conveyor  is  4  hours  per 
man  or  12  hours  every  24.  The  yearly 
maintenance  here  will  not  exceed 
$10.00.  With  a  hand  pit  at  this  place 
3  men  every  8  hours  or  9  men  in  24 
hours  would  be  required.  They  would 
be  busy  every  hour  and  would  have  no 
time  to  do  other  work.  The  following 
table  gives  the  cost  and  savings  made 
here: 


Side   View   of    Detroit   Cinder  Conveyors. 

single-unit  Robertson  Inclined  Track 
Cinder  Conveyor  installed  here. 

One  man  operates  the  conveyor, 
working  8  hours  week  days,  and  4 
hours  on  Sunday,  or  52  hours  per  week. 
He  receives  40%  cents  per  hour. 

The  conveyor  has  been  installed  here 
for  about  5  years.  The  table  herewith 


Cost  of  Loading  Cinders  By  Hand  at 
Port  Huron,   Mich.,   1917. 


No.  Men 
2 


Cost  per  Year 
$1,987.20 


With  Robertson  Conveyor,  1917. 
1  23c  $    993.60 

Saving  per  year  with  Robertson 

Conveyor,  1917 $    993.60 


(66) 


ON     THE     PERE     M  A  R  Q  U  E  T  T  E 


Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  at  Port  Huron,  Mich. 
There  Are  Only  15  Engines  Handled  Here,  But  Even 
With  This  Small  Number  a  Saving  of  $993.00  Was 
Being  Made  In  1917  When  Labor  Was  Costing  Only 
23c  Per  Hour.  At  the  Present  Rate  of  40%c  Per  Hour, 
This  Conveyor  at  This  Small  Terminal  Is  Saving 
$1,760.00  Per  Year. 

shows  the  savings  made  under  the  ad- 
vanced rate. 

Handling  Cinders  at  Saginaw,  Mich. 

Here  they  have  3  double-unit  Rob- 
ertson Inclined  Track  Cinder  Convey- 
ors installed.  They  are  despatching  65 
engines  per  day.  One  man  per  shift  or 
3  men  per  24  hours  are  required  to  han- 
dle the  conveyor.  They  pay  these  men 
43c  per  hour. 

They  have  time  to  do  other  work 
around  the  place  such  as  cleaning  up. 

The  following  table  gives  a  compari- 
son between  the  hand  cinder  pit  and  the 
conveyor : 


Cost  of  Loading  Cinders  By  Hand  at 
Saginaw,    Mich.,   1917. 

Xo.  Men        Rate  per  Hour        Cost  per  Year 
6  23c  $5,464.80 

With  Robertson  Conveyor,  1917. 

2  23c  $1,821.60 

Saving  per  year  with  Robertson 

Conveyor  in  1917 $3,643.21 


HANDLING  CINDERS  AT 
LUDINGTON,  MICH. 

Ludington,  Michigan,  has  1  single 
unit  Robertson  Inclined  Track  Cinder 
Conveyor. 

The  terminal  despatches  13  engines 
every  24  hours. 

They  have  3  shifts  using  1   man  5 


Front  View  of  Two  Units  of  Robertson  Conveyors  at 
Grand    Rapids,    Mich. 

hours  on  each  shift.  The  3  hours  are 
spent  doing  general  labor.  This  makes 
15  hours  per  day  spent  on  the  conveyor. 
By  hand  it  would  require  2  men  per 
shift. 

They  pay  these  men  SS^c  per  hour. 
The  following  table  shows  the  saving 
made  by  the  conveyor  over  the  hand 
method. 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


Cost  of  Loading  Cinders  By  Hand  at 
Ludington,  Mich.,  1917. 

No.  Men        Rate  per  Hour        Cost  per  Year 
6  20c  $3,456.00 

With  Robertson  Conveyor,  1917. 

2  20c  $1,728.00 

Saving     with     Robertson     Con- 
veyor, Ludington,  Mich.,  1917..$!, 728. 00 


HANDLING  CINDERS  AT 
GRAND  RAPIDS,  MICH. 

Here  they  have  3  double-unit  Rob- 
ertson Inclined  Track  Cinder  Convev- 


They  despatch  80  engines  every  24 
hours.  They  use  2  men  per  shift  and 
they  are  paid  43c  per  hour. 

These  men  do  general  labor  work  in 
connection  with  operating  the  convey- 
ors. It  would  require  4  men  per  shift 
to  handle  this  pit  by  hand.  The  table 
on  page  69  gives  a  comparison  of  the 
hand  method  and  the  conveyor  method 
now  in  use. 

Four  years  saving  with  the  Robertson 
Inclined  Track  Cinder  Conveyors  on 


Three    Double    Unit    Robertson    Inclined    Track    CinderConveyors   at   Saginaw.    Mich. 

ors  in  operation.  They  are  giving  first-  the  P.  M.  R.  R.  at  present  wages,  will 
class  service  and  the  maintenance  is  be  $96,036.00.  They  have  reduced  the 
very  low.  number  of  cinder  pit  laborers  at  these 


INCREASED   SAVINGS   ON   THE  PERE   MARQUETTE  R.  R.  DUE  TO  INCREASED 
WAGES. 

Location 

•    Rate  in 
1917 

Rate  in 
1919 

Former 
Savings 

Increased  Saving  per 
Year  Based  on 
Present  Increased 
Wages 

Detroit,  Mich  

29  y2c 
23c 
34c 
20c 
20c 

43c 
403/4  c 
43c 
33^c 
43c 

$5,097.60 
993.60 
3,643.21 
1,728.00 
3,456.00 

$7,410.00 
1,760.00 
4,600.00 
2,900.00 
7,420.00 

Port  Huron,  Mich  

Saginaw,  Mich  

Ludington,  Mich  

Grand  Rapids    Mich  . 

Total   $24  090  00 

(68) 


ON     THE     PERE     MARQUETTE 


5  places  from  41  to  16.  A  saving  of 
25  men. 

The  Pere  Marquette  has  19  Robert- 
son Conveyors  at  various  points  on  its 
line. 

The  Robertson  Conveyors  first  in- 
stalled have  been  giving  more  than  sat- 
isfactory service  for  more  than  six  years, 
and  are  none  the  worse  for  wear. 


Cost  of  Loading  Cinders  By  Hand  at 
Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  1917. 

No.  Men        Rate  per  Hour        Cost  per  Year 
6  20c  $5,184.00 

With  Robertson  Conveyor,  1917. 

2                          20c  $1,728.00 
Saving     with     Robertson     Con- 
veyor in  1917 -...$3,456.00 


Showing   One  of  the   Three    Double-Unit    Batteries   of    Robertson   Inclined  Track  Cinder  Conveyors  on  the  Pere 
Marquette   Ry.   at  Grand   Rapids,   Mich.,   Using   Both   Buckets  at  One  Time  for   Large   Engine. 


(69) 


CHAPTER  X 

Average  Savings 


The  diagram  reproduced  represents 
in  graphical  form,  the  average  savings 
which  may  be  made  in  handling  cinders 
through  the  use  of  Robertson  Inclined 
Track  Cinder  Conveyors. 

The   curves   of  necessity  (Consist   of 


hours  of  his  time  may  be  actually  re- 
quired. 

The  savings  indicated  in  this  diagram 
are  conservative  for  an  average  pit.  We 
have  figures  of  terminals  handling  from 
30  to  37  engines  or  even  more,  where  the 


/oo 


'tt-mmmmr$  nm 

. .  gmmtmm,mm. 


>m'm  ^-~.j^*;MB»^ 

Z     4-      6     8     10     12.     14     16     16  20   22    24    26   Z8  30    3Z    3f   36    38   40    fZ    44-    46    48  6~0  *?"•>•>*  "36  -rf 

PfllLY  LABOR  COST  OF  CINDER  PIT  OPtfflTfOtf  fffPOLLMti  &  CEffTd, 


-  60 


Diagram    Indicating   Average   Savings  Which   May   Be    Made     With;     Robertson     Conveyors     Wher*ei     Sufficient 
Units    Are    Installed    and   the    Layout    Is   Correct. 


horizontal  and  vertical  lines  because  the 
units  must  be  in  whole  days  of  labor. 
When  the  cinders  at  a  terminal  require 
more  than  two  men,  you  have  to  hire 
three  men,  and  immediately  the  expense 
jumps  a  full  day's  wages  for  one  man; 
though  possibly  only  three  or  four 


cinder  shovelers  have  been  done  away 
with  entirely,  the  hostlers  or  fire  knock- 
ers operating  the  Robertson  conveyors. 
In  these  terminals  the  savings  would 
run  $22.20  per  day  instead  of  $14.80 
per  day,  as  shown  in  the  diagram. 
It  is  easy  to  pick  out  from  this  din- 


(70) 


AVERAGE     SAVINGS 


gram  the  average  savings  which  may  be 
made  at  a  pit  of  any  size  up  to  90  en- 
gines, through  the  use  of  Robertson  In- 
clined Track  Conveyors  as  compared 
with  hand  operation.  The  saving  is 
represented  by  the  horizontal  line  be- 
tween the  two  curves,  expressed  in  the 
scale  at  the  bottom  of  the  curve  in  dol- 
lars and  cents.  Of  course  it  is  not  to  be 
expected  that  these  figures  will  be  the 
exact  figures  in  every  case.  The  figures 


number  will  very  closely  approximate 
that  shown  on  the  diagram. 

Reference  to  the  tables  given  in  pre- 
vious chapters,  will  also  show  that  in 
many  cases  even  greater  savings  are 
being  made  than  this  diagram  would  in- 
dica,te  and  also  in  a  few  cases,  that  the 
savings  are  somewhat  less,  depending 
on  the  local  conditions. 

This  diagram  was  figured  out  for  pits 
where  laborers  are  hired  for  handling 


AVERAGE  COSTS   OF   CINDER  PIT   OPERATION. 
Hand  Cinder  Pit  Operation  vs.  Robertson  Cinder  Pit  Operation. 

-o 

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$  3.70 

12 

2 

0 

7.40 

00.00 

2 

7.40 

17 

4 

0 

14.80 

7.40 

2 

7.40 

22 

4 

o 

14.80 

7.40 

2 

7.40 

27 

6 

2 

22.20 

7.40 

4 

14.80 

32 

6 

0 

14.40 

7.40 

4 

14.80 

37 

8 

3 

29.60 

5 

18.50 

42 

8 

3 

29.60 

5 

18.50 

47 

8 

3 

29.60 

5 

18.50 

52 

9 

4 

33.30 

9.60 

5 

18.50 

57 

10 

4 

37.00 

9.60 

6 

22.20 

67 

12 

5 

44.40 

12.00 

7 

25.90 

77 

13 

5 

48.10 

12.00 

8 

29.60 

97 

14 

6 

51.80 

14.40 

8 

29.60 

are  based  on  a  rate  of  37c  per  hour 
which  is  a  very  conservative  average  for 
cinder  pit  laborers  today  as  tables 
quoted  in  previous  chapters  have  shown. 
While  possibly  each  individual  case 
will  differ  some  from  the  figures  indi- 
cated on  the  diagram,  if  a,  number  of 
pits  are  equipped,  say  from  eight  to  a 
dozen,  the  average  savings  on  the  whole 
number  of  pits  will  be  found  to  easily 
equal  those  indicated  on  the  diagram; 
and  the  average  figure  for  the  whole 


the  cinders,  and  the  fire  knockers,,  or 
hostlers,  do  nothing  but  take  care  of  the 
fires  and  engines. 

There  are  a  number  of  reasons  for  a 
variation  from  average  figures  in  han- 
dling cinders.  The  most  important  of 
these  reasons,  next  to  the  installation 
of  power  equipment  of  sufficient  capac- 
ity to  handle  the  rush,  is  the  schedule 
of  the  engines  over  the  pit.  It  requires 
a  larger  force  of  men  to  handle  15  en- 
gines, 10  of  which  go  over  the  pit  in  an 


(71) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


hour,  than  to  handle  30  engines  at  the 
rate  of  three  per  hour. 

In  order  to  keep  things  moving, 
you've  either  got  to  provide  enough 
labor  to  handle  the  peak  load,  or  install 
equipment  which  will  do  the  work  of 
the  laborers.  It's  pretty  difficult — it's 
impossible  in  many  places — to  keep  a 
sufficiently  large  crew  to  prevent  con- 
gestion on  hand  pits.  And  even  if 


veyors  are  installed,  the  peak  load  is 
taken  care  of  with  gratifying  ease. 
And  when  engines  are  not  arriving, 
there  is  an  almost  negligible  loss  of 
labor  wages. 

In  this  connection  it  will  be  of  some 
interest  to  quote  the  comparative  costs 
as  compiled  in  January,  1918,  by  E. 
C ordeal,  Assistant  to  General  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Texas  &  Pacific  Rv. 


Double    Unit    Robertson    Conveyor    at    Macon,    Ga.,    Which,    When    Wages    Were   $1.50    Per    Day,    Was    Saving 
£1,319.00    Per    Year.      On    the    Basis    of    37!/2c    Per    Hour,  This    Installation    Is    Now   Saving   $3,300.00    Per   Year. 


enough  laborers  can  be  obtained  to  load  "The  cinder  pit  problem  at  engine 

the  cinders  fast  enough  to  prevent  con-  houses  is  one  of  greatly  increased  im- 

gestion,  these  men  will  be  out  of  a  job,  portance  at  the  present  time  on  account 

killing  time  a  portion  of  the  day.    The  of  the  practical  impossibility  of  secur- 

cost  of  shoveling  cinders  is  extremely  ing  laborers  for  this  class  of  work  at 

high  where  engines  bunch  up  morning  anywhere  near  a  reasonable  rate, 

and  evening.    And  this  means  at  prac-  "Jn   the    past,    most    railroads    have 

tically  every  pit  handling  10  engines  or  been  content  with  installing  up-to-date 

more-  cinder  handling  facilities  at  their  larger 

If  Robertson   Inclined   Track   Con-  terminals,  using  hand  labor  at  the  less 

(72) 


AVERAGE     SAVINGS 


important  points,  although  a  good  many 
of  us  have  realized  that  a  machine,  han- 
dling cinders,  was  more  economical, 
even  at  the  smaller  roundhouse  points. 
The  tendency  has  been  to  avoid  the 
initial  expenditure  for  any  improved 
facilities  and  to  drift  along  with  the  old 
style,  uneconomical  hand  pits. 

"Right  now  we  are  confronted  with 
a  condition,  which  is  very  likely  to  force 
us  to  do  what  we  should  have  done  in 
the  interest  of  economy  long  ago.  If 
men  are  not  available,  we  must  handle 
our  cinders  with  machinery,  and  the 


engines  per  day,  show  the  following  re- 
sults : 


COST   OF   HANDLING  CINDERS  PER 
ENGINE.   40  ENGINES  PER  DAY. 


Hand 

Labor    $0.26 

Power   - 00 

Interest     and     De- 
preciation     02 


Crane  Conveyor 
$0.10         $0.06 
.03  .01 


Total   ...$0.28 


$0.25 


.04 


$0.11 


"The  interest  and  depreciation  fig- 
ures in  the  foregoing  statement  include 
those  items  for  both  the  pit  and  the 
hoisting  device. 


Views     of     Kankakee,     III.,     Conveyors.       Pit     Shown    At    Left    With    Cart    Seated    Ready    For    Load. 


fact  that  we  will  save  money  by  so  do- 
ing is  our  consolation  in  being  forced 
to  make  the  necessary  installations. 

"Experience  with  various  methods  of 
cinder  handling  has  convinced  me  long 
since  that  there  is  only  one  justifiable 
method  of  operating  cinder  pits  where 
ten  engines  per  day  or  upwards  are 
handled.  Comparative  figures,  taken 
from  actual  time  studies,  covering  the 
cost  of  handling  cinders  by  various 
means  for  a  terminal  averaging  forty 


"For  a  terminal  handling  an  average 
of  ten  engines  per  day,  the  figures 
would  be  as  follows : 


COST   OF  HANDLING  CINDERS  PER 
ENGINE.    10  ENGINES  PER  DAY. 

Hand      Crane  Conveyor 


Labor    _ $0.26 

Power  00 

Interest     and     De- 
preciation     08 


Total   ....$0.34 


$0.10 
.05 

.48 
$0.63 


$0.06 
.01 


.16 


'My  experience  with  the  Robertson 


(73) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


Conveyor  has  been  highly  satisfactory. 
I  have  seen  these  machines  in  operation 
in  the  dead  of  winter,  in  Michigan  and 
Minnesota,  and  in  the  heat  of  summer 
in  California  and  Texas,  and  their  per- 
formance has  been  uniformly  good  un- 
der all  conditions.  I  do  not  believe  that 
there  is  any  question  in  the  minds  of 
railroad  men  who  have  used  this  device, 
as  to  its  superiority  over  any  other 
means  of  solving  the  cinder  pit  prob- 
lem. 

"I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  men, 
who  contend  that  cinders  can  be  loaded 
by  hand  at  a  cost  of  9c  or  lOc  a  yard, 
have  never  actually  figured  on  the  prop- 
osition. My  own  experience  would  in- 
dicate that  a  cost  of  approximately  20c 


Cinders  Accumulating. 


per  yard  would  about  cover  where  ma- 
terial is  merely  shoveled  from  the 
ground  onto  cars. 


"The  cost  of  loading  cinders  from  an 
engine  pit  is  an  entirely  different  propo- 
sition, however,  and  cannot  be  accom- 
plished at  anywhere  near  this  rate.  In 
the  first  place,  the  cinders  are  hot  and 
must  be  thoroughly  wet  down  before 
they  can  be  handled.  Again,  the  pit 
men  are  constantly  interrupted  in  their 
work  by  engines  arriving  at  the  pit  and 
dumping  fires.  In  addition  to  this,  the 
work  is  laborious  and  disagreeable  on 
account  of  the  heat  and  the  water  in  the 
pit.  For  these  reasons,  the  men  that 
can  be  secured  to  work  in  cinder  pits 
are  not  the  accomplished  shovelers  who 
would  handle  cinders  off  the  ground  at 
the  20c  per  yard  rate." 

Author's  note: — Since  these  figures 
were  made  up  there  has  been  approx- 
imately a  100  per  cent  increase  in  wages 
of  cinder  pit  laborers,  and  a  like  in- 
crease in  prices.  Under  these  condi- 
tions the  cost  would  be  as  follows: 


COST    OF  HANDLING  CINDERS   PER 
ENGINE.   40  ENGINES  PER  DAY. 


Hand 

Labor    $0.52 

Power   00 

Interest     and     De- 
preciation      04 


Crane  Conveyor 
$0.20          $0.12 
.03  .01 

.24  .08 


Total    $0.56          $0.47          $0.21 

COST   OF   HANDLING   CINDERS   PER 
ENGINE.    10  ENGINES  PER  DAY. 


Hand 

Labor    52 

Power   *. 00 

Interest     and     De- 
preciation „ 16 

Total    ..  ....$0.68 


Crane  Conveyor 
.20  .12 

.05  .01 


.96 


$1.21 


.32 


$0.45 


(74) 


CHAPTER   XI 


Cinder  Pit,  Track  and  Conveyor  Layouts 


Railroad  men  know  through  expe- 
rience that  a  layout  or  installation 
which  will  handle  the  work  at  one  place 
will  not  of  necessity  handle  the  work  at 
another 
place.  And 
no  layout 
can  be 
made  for  a 
terminal 
which  will 
adequately 
answer  the 
purpose 
without  a 
considera  - 
tion  of  the 
conditions 
to  be  met. 

In  lay- 
ing out  a 
cinder  pit, 
we  must 
take  into 
consid- 
eration 
first  the 
time  ele- 
m  e  n  t  or 
the  num- 
ber of loco- 
motives 
which  will  come  to  the  pit  during  the 
rush  hour,  and  the  facilities  necessary 
for  taking  care  of  this  peak  load  with- 
out delaying  engines;  second,  the  size 
of  the  locomotives;  and  third,  the  num- 


These  Two  Units  of  a  Battery  of  Six  Units  of  Robertson  Conveyors  at 
Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  Are  Located  Close  Together  So  That  Fire  May  Be 
Pulled  from  Both  Ends  of  the  Fire  Box  at  the  Same  Time.  The  Whole  Fire 
of  a  Large  Locomotive  May  Be  Pulled  Into  These  Two  Buckets  and  They 
Are  Dumped  Simultaneously  by  One  Operator. 


her  of  locomotives  over  the  pit. 

Consideration  of  the  first  two  factors 
will  show  the  necessity  and  the  ultimate 
economy  of  installing  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  con- 
veyors to 
adequately 
take  care 
of  the  en- 
gines with- 
out caus- 
ing delay 
at  any 
time. 

There 
are  very 
few  places 
where  a 
single-unit 
coinveyor 
will  be  suf- 
ficient for 
handling 
the  peak 
load  with- 
out caus- 
ing delay. 
Not  be- 
cause of 
the  capac- 
ity of  the 
conveyor, 

which  is  ample  to  take  care  of  all  the 
cinders  of  100  engines  per  day,  but  be- 
cause of  the  time  it  takes  to  pull  a  fire. 
It  takes  from  18  to  30  minutes,  or 
even  more  sometimes,  to  pull  a  fire ;  and 


(75) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


I  _ft  Unloading  Track  « 
tr  — - 


Plan    and    Section,    Robertson  Two-Unit  Conveyor  Cinder  Pit. 


so  installations  should  be  such  that  on 
this  basis  the  locomotives  can  be  taken 
care  of  without  delay  during  the  rush 
period,  and  a  layout  should  not  be  based 
merely  on  the  speed  of  the  Robertson 
conveyor,  which  will  dump  its  load  in  30 
seconds.  It  is  the  capacity  of  the  fire 
knockers  and  not  the  capacity  of  the 
conveyor  which  determines  the  number 
of  units  necessary. 

The  capacity  of  the  cinder  pit  may 
be  increased  in  two  ways.     First,  by 


providing  two  units  close  together  so 
that  fires  may  be  pulled  into  two  carts 
from  the  same  engine  at  the  same  time. 
In  this  way,  two  hostlers  can  work,  one 
on  each  end  of  the  firebox,  and  reduce 
the  time  for  pulling  the  fire  of  an  en- 
gine by  one-half. 

The  second  way  to  increase  the  ca- 
pacity is  to  increase  the  number  of  bat- 
teries of  double  units,  placing  them  a 
sufficient  distance  apart  so  that  locomo- 


Sprinkler  Method  Used  on  the  C.  &  O.  R.  R.  for 
Wetting  Down  Cinders  in  the  Robertson  Cinder  Pit. 
There  Is  No  Surplus  of  Water  or  Any  Delay  in  Cooling 
Cinders  In  This  Efficient  Manner. 


Sprinkler  Method  Used  on  the  Santa  Fe  for  Wet- 
ting Down  Cinders  in  a  Robertson  Cinder  Pit.  The 
Water  Puts  Out  the  Fire  in  the  Cinders  as  They  Drop, 
and  As  Soon  As  the  Conveyor  Cart  Is  Full  It  Can  Be 
Immediately  Dumped  Into  the  Car.  The  Flow  of 
Water  is  Easily  Controlled,  Which  Prevents  Flooding, 
or  Freezing  in  Cold  Weather. 


(76) 


CINDER     PIT,     TRACK     AND     CONVEYOR     L  A.Y  O  U  T  S 


Grand   Rapids  Hand   Pit   Before   Installing  Conveyors 


tives  may  be  spotted  over  several  bat- 
teries at  the  same  time  and  fires  be 
pulled  from  almost  any  number  of  loco- 
motives at  the  same  time. 

In  this  way,  the  capacity  of  the  cin- 
der pit  may  be  made  as  great  as  de- 
sired in  the  original  installation.  Or 
the  capacity  of  the  cinder  pit  may  be 
increased  at  any  time  by  the  installation 
of  additional  units,  if  the  original  in- 
stallation proves  too  small  or  the  re- 
quirements increase  beyond  the  capacity 
of  the  fire  knockers  to  pull  fires. 

To  the  casual  observer,  all  railroad 


The  Steel  Work  for  the  Grand  Rapids  Cinder  Con- 
veyors Was  Placed  In  a  Very  Few  Hours  With  a 
Derrick. 


terminals  may  look  alike,  embracing  a 
roundhouse,  a  coal  dock,  a  sandhouse 
and  a  cinder  pit;  but  the  railroad  man 
in  charge  knows  differently. 

Conditions  make  the  terminals  en- 
tirely different.  Even  those  terminals 
handling  a  similar  number  of  locomo- 
tives may  have  entirely  different  condi- 
tions to  contend  with. 

There  are  large  and  small  terminals, 
and  similar-sized  terminals  with  differ- 
ent layouts.  Some  handle  heavy  power, 


Men   Connecting   Up   Steel   Work   After   Derrick   Has 
Completed   the    Erection. 


Knocking  a  Fire  In  the  Grand   Rapids  Pit. 


(77) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


some  light.  At  many  points  congestion 
exists;  at  other  points  the  power  comes 
and  goes  at  regular  periods.  In  fact, 
time,  labor  and  material  vary  sufficient- 
ly at  different  points  to  produce  great 
variations,  which  must  he  considered  in 
aji  original  installation. 

Previous  installations  also  have  their 


different  terminals,  provided  a  proper 
installation  is  contemplated. 

The  cinder  pit  represents  one  of  the 
main  problems  at  any  railroad  locomo- 
tive terminal.  Using  the  cinder  pit  for 
this  reason  as  an  illustration,  let  us  as- 
sume that  a  particular  terminal  turns 
80  engines  of  a  heavy  type  every  24 


To  Increase  the  Capacity  of  the  Cinder  Pit  at  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  Three  Sets  of  the  Double  Units  of  Rob- 
ertson Conveyors  Located  Close  Together  Were  Provided.  Thus  it  is  Possible  to  Spot  Three  Large  Locomo- 
tives Here  and  If  Necessary,  Have  Two  Fire  Knockers  Working  on  Each  Locomotive,  Each  Pulling  the  Fire 
Out  of  One  End  of  the  Fire  Box,  All  at  the  Same  Time.  In  This  Manner  Locomotives  May  Be  Released  Very 
Rapidly — At  a  Speed  of  3  Every  Fifteen  Minutes  If  Desired. 


importance.      Water,    steam    and    air    hours.    The  officials  recommend  the  use 


pressure  play  their  parts.  To  such  an 
extent  are  terminals  so  utterly  differ- 
ent from  each  other,  that  no  installa- 
tion of  even  minor  description  should  be 
made  until  every  existing  condition  is 
given  due  consideration.  Meritorious 
appliances  are  usually  sufficiently  flex- 
ible to  meet  the  different  demands  of 


of  six  cinder  conveyors  but  have  them 
placed  some  distance  apart;  perhaps  on 
different  tracks. 

Such  an  installation  might  have  been 
the  ideal  for  another  terminal,  but  at 
this  particular  point  a  loss  in  time  is  ex- 
perienced, due  to  the  fact  that  the  heavy 
power  carries  so  much  fire  that  two 


(78) 


CINDER     PIT,     TRACK     AND     CONVEYOR     LA.YOUTS 


trips  of  the  conveyor  cars  are  needed  to  directly  over  the  two  conveyor  cars  when 

handle  the  dumpings.     In  the  mean-  spotted.     All  of  the  ashes  are  dumped 

while,  the  locomotive  waits.  without  respotting  the  locomotive.  This 

Fires  should  he  knocked  in  a  space  of  installation   handles   the   cinders   more 

time  not  greater  than  10  to  15  minutes,  than  twice  as  fast  as  two  units  widely 


Double-Unit     Robertson     Inclined     Track     Cinder    Conveyor   on    Pere    Marquette    Ry.    at   Grand    Rapids,    Mich., 
Dumping    Both    Carts   At   One  Time   With    But  One    Man    Operating   the   Conveyor. 


In  this  case,  25  to  30  minutes  are  re- 
quired, which  is  altogether  too  long. 

Typical  Layouts. 

We  illustrate  the  Robertson  Inclined 
Track  Cinder  Conveyor  at  Grand 
Rapids,  Mich.,  consisting  of  three 
batteries  of  two  units  each,  placed 
close  enough  together  so  that  both  hop- 
pers of  a  large  engine's  ash  pan  are 


separated ;  and  if  they  were  widely  sep- 
arated, the  fire  knocker  would  have  to 
walk  from  one  unit  to  the  other  and  the 
locomotive  would  have  to  be  spotted 
twice  to  take  all  its  ashes. 

The  pictures  also  aptly  illustrate  how 
easy  it  is  to  operate  both  conveyors  at 
the  same  time  by  use  of  one  man's  labor. 
One  illustration  shows  two  buckets  be- 
ing dumped  at  the  same  time.  At 


(79) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


Grand  Rapids,  many  Consolidated, 
Pacific  and  Mikado  locomotives  are 
handled. 

The  three  batteries  of  double  units 
are  so  arranged  and  isolated  that  the 
use  of  one  battery  in  cleaning  fires  will 
not  conflict  with  the  use  of  the  others  at 
the  same  time. 

Now  if  there  were  only  one  conveyor 
at  this  point,  it  would  have  to  be  loaded 
and  the  load  discharged  into  the  car  and 
then  the  bucket  brought  down  again 
under  the  rail ;  and  in  the  meantime  the 
locomotive  would  be  waiting.  When 
the  air  pressure  is  right,  this  will  entail 
a  loss  of  only  30  seconds ;  but  if  for  some 
reason  or  other  the  air  pressure  is  down 
a  little,  there  may  be  a  delay  of  2  or  3 
minutes. 


The  installation  of  the  Robertson  In- 
clined Track  Cinder  Conveyors  at 
Grand  Rapids  is  right.  It  is  right  be- 
cause it  is  figured  out  particularly  for 
the  conditions  at  that  terminal.  Right 
for  the  simple  reason  that  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  three  batteries  provides  for 
'rush  hours"  without  difficulty.  Right, 
for  the  reason  that  the  compact,  two- 
unit  installation  allows  fire  cleaning  for 
large  engines  to  be  accomplished  in  a 
minimum  space  of  time,  with  only  one 
spotting  of  the  locomotive  required  and 
no  walking  from  conveyor  to  conveyor 
by  the  fire  knocker.  Again  right  be- 
cause provision  has  been  made  for  an 
ample  supply  of  dry,  compressed  air  at 
the  necessary  pressure. 

Another  thing  to  note  about  this  in- 
stallation is  that  it  has  three  batteries 


In  order  to  prevent  either  switching 
or  respotting,  it  is  advisable  always  to  instead  of  J«*  one«  Three  larSe  loo°- 
have  two  units  of  Robertson  conveyors  motives  can  be  spotted  and  have  then- 
located  closely  together,  and  in  such  a  fires  Pulled  at  the  same  time'  thus  ac~ 
way  as  to  most  advantageously  take  complishing  two  very  desirable  objects; 

(1)  quickest  possible  handling  of  each 
locomotive  (fires  pulled  in  not  to  ex- 
ceed 15  minutes)  ;  (2)  provision  for 
handling  three  locomotives  at  the  same 
time  without  interference. 

This  gives  an  average  capacity  of  12 
locomotives  per  hour,  four  at  each  bat- 
tery. It  is  easy  to  realize  what  this 
means  during  rush  hours.  It  means  the 


care  of  the  local  conditions. 

Correct  Installation. 


Again  referring  to  installation,  con- 
sideration should  be  given  to  getting 
the  proper  air  pressure,  and  also  to  the 
condition  of  the  air.  No  installation  is 
capable  of  functioning  at  100  per  cent 
efficiency  with  insufficient  air  pressure, 
and  even  with  maximum  pressure,  effi- 
ciency is  lost  if  moisture-laden  air  is 
used.  The  result  will  be  slow  operation 
during  winter  months,  and  during 
warmer  periods  accumulations  of  water 
will  wash  away  the  oil  necessary  for  lub- 
rication. 


practical  elimination  of  all  delay  at  the 
cinder  pit  in  this  layout. 

Need  for  Laborers  Entirely  Eliminated. 

At  some  points  additional  batteries 
of  conveyors  have  been  provided  in  or- 
der that  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  have 


(80) 


CINDER     PIT,     TRACK     AND     CONVEYOR     LAYOUTS 


The     Robertson     Conveyors     at     Illmo,     Mo.,     Were     Installed    in    Sufficient    Number    to    Give    Very    High    Ca- 
pacity   and    Prevent   Any    Delay   to    Locomotives    During    Rush    Hours. 


any  cinder  pit  laborers  at  all  and  the 
entire  work  can  be  handled  by  the  fire 
knockers.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  an  ad- 
ditional investment  in  equipment  is  jus- 
tified to  accomplish  this. 

An  installation  of  this  kind,  where 
cinder  pit  laborers  are  not  employed  at 
all,  is  that  at  Illmo,  Mo.  on  the  St. 
Louis  Southwestern  Railroad,  which  is 
illustrated.  Four  medium-sized  engines 
can  be  spotted  over  the  four  batteries 
of  conveyors  and  their  fires  cleaned  at 


one  time,  if  four  fire  cleaners  are  em- 
ployed. These  engines  can  then  be 
promptly  moved  off  the  pit  and  four 
more  engines  of  medium  size  may  have 
their  fires  cleaned  in  the  alternate 
buckets  without  delaying  even  long 
enough  to  dump  the  buckets.  Thus 
with  a  layout  of  this  size,  4  engines 
may  be  handled  with  extreme  rapidity 
without  any  cinder  pit  laborers  at  all; 
then  after  a  delay  of  only  a  few  sec- 


Robertson  Cinder  Conveyors  Operated   by   Electricity 
at  Gallup,  N.   M.;  A.,  T.  &  S.  F.  Ry. 


Robertson    Cinder   Conveyor   at    Bangor,    Me.,   on   the 
Maine   Central    R.    R.,   Operated    by    Electricity. 


(81) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


ROBERTSON    CONVEYOR 


ROBERTSON    CONVEYORS 


ROBERTSON    CONVEYORS 


J>LAHar  TRACKS 

Four    Double-Unit    Robertson    Conveyors    Providing   Two    Ash    Pit    Tracks,    Wtih    Only    One    Loading    Track 

Necessary. 


onds,  the  plant  is  again  ready  for  four 
more  locomotives. 

At  this  terminal  it  is  necessary  to 
handle  engines  fast,  as  they  arrive  in 
quick  succession  at  certain  intervals 
during  the  day;  and  they  do  handle 
them  fast  without  any  cinder  pit  labor- 
ers at  all.  The  conveyors  are  operated 


by  the  fire  knockers  and  when  installed 
the  cinder  pit  gang  was  taken  off  the 
books  entirely.  There  is  always  a  Rob- 
ertson Conveyor  waiting  for  a  locomo- 
tive at  this  terminal.  And  they  are  han- 
dled by  the  men  who.  at  an  average 
terminal,  are  paid  merely  for  cleaning 
the  fires. 


Eight    Robertson     Inclined    Track    Cinder    Conveyors    Were    Installed    at    McGregor,    Iowa,    in   Order  That   Full 

Capacity    Might    Be    Provided    for    Rush    Hours. 

(82) 


CINDER     PIT,     TRACK     AND     CONVEYOR     LAYOUTS 


At  many  other  terminals,  increasing 
the  number  of  Robertson  Conveyors 
slightly  above  the  minimum  required, 
will  give  a  capacity  such  that  cinder-pit 
laborers  can  be  entirely  done  away  with. 
This  means  of  course  a  big  saving  in  the 
payroll,  but  it  means  a  much  greater 
saving  in  trouble  and  delay  in  getting 
and  holding  laborers,  and  in  the  con- 
stant grief  experienced  with  labor  at 
the  cinder  pit. 

Where  you  have  no  need  for  labor- 
ers, you  have  no  labor  problem.  The 
way  to  solve  the  labor  problem  at  cin- 
der pits  is  to  use  power  equipment- 
Robertson  Inclined  Track  Conveyors, 
ajid  enough  of  them.  For  if  there  is 
not  enough  power  equipment  in  a  cin- 
der pit,  better  not  have  power  equip- 
ment at  all,  but  be  satisfied  with  the 
long  expensive  hand  cinder  pit  and  the 
shovel. 

Double  Use  of  Loading  Track. 

The  illustration  showing,  four  sets  of 
double  units  of  Robertson  conveyors 
is  a  design  for  providing  a  maximum 
capacity  where  the  engines  have  their 
fires  pulled  on  two  tracks  and  using  a 
single  loading  track  to  accommodate  all 
of  the  conveyors.  This  means  a  saving 
of  room  in  that  only  one  loading  track 
has  to  be  provided  for  two  ash-pit 
tracks. 

This  also  leads  to  an  advantage  and 
economy  in  spotting  cars  for  the  con- 
veyors. Since  all  the  conveyors  are  on 
one  track,  the  locomotive  when  it  puts 
in  empties  can  spot  the  four  cars  with- 
out being  delayed  by  switching  them 
from  track  to  track. 


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(83) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


If  the  same  number  of  Robertson 
ash  pits  were  put  in  on  the  same  track, 
it  would  make  the  installation  about 
twice  as  long  and  spread  it  over  so 
much  territory  that  the  men  attending 
the  ash  pits  or  pulling  the  fires  may 
kill  considerable  time  during  the  day 
and  night  by  walking  from  one  ash  pit 
to  another.  Placing  the  four  units  as 
shown  makes  a  very  compact  installa- 
tion, which  is  of  utmost  advantage  from 


Rapids  pit  where  three  double  sets  of 
conveyors  were  placed  on  the  same 
track. 

Special  Plan  for  Saving  Track  Room. 

Where  installed  on  level  ground,  the 
Robertson  Inclined  Track  Cinder  Con- 
veyor requires  about  22-ft.  track  centers. 
Where  it  is  desired  to  have  cinder  con- 
veyors on  two  tracks  so  that  either  track 
may  be  handled  independently  of  the 


ROBERTSON    CONVEYORS 


ROBERTSON    CONVEYORS 


Plan 


for  Saving   10   Feet  of  Track  Centers  in   Putting    In    Double   Unit   Robertson   Conveyors  on   Two  Tracks. 
Loading    Track    is    Used    for    Both    Batteries    of    Conveyors. 


the  viewpoint  of  the  saving  of  time  of  other,  the  layout  shown  herewith  will 
laborers  and  fire  knockers.  work  out  to  good  advantage.  The 
With  this  layout,  it  is  possible  to  loading  track  is  laid  out  with  a  curve 
handle  200  large  locomotives  per  day  in  it  which  makes  it  possible  to  save 
and  do  it  conveniently.  And  simply  10-foot  of  track  room, 
lengthening  the  installation  will  make  As  the  loading  track  is  not  a  high 
it  possible  to  increase  the  capacity  at  speed  track  and  is  used  very  little,  the 
any  time  by  almost  any  desired  amount,  curve  can  be  put  in  very  sharp  if  de- 
This  combination  of  double  conveyors  sired,  so  that  these  installations  can  be 
may  also  be  used,  if  desired,  for  two  put  very  close  together, 
double-unit  installations  or  for  three  With  this  installation,  an  engine  can 
double-unit  installations.  be  spotted  on  each  track  simultaneous- 
Local  conditions  will  decide  whether  ly,  and  if  one  engine  gets  through  be- 
this  kind  of  a  layout  will  be  more  ad-  fore  the  other,  it  can  be  moved  off 
vantageous  to  use  at  any  given  terminal  promptly,  and  another  engine  spotted 
than  the  layout  used  on  the  Grand  without  any  delay.  This  layout  has 

(84) 


CINDER     PIT,     TRACK     AND     CONVEYOR     LAYOUTS 


some  advantage  over  the  same  number 
of  units  of  Robertson  Conveyors  in- 
stalled on  the  same  track,  and  requires 
no  additional  loading  track. 

Summary. 

In  laying  out  a  cinder  pit,  various 
schemes,  or  combinations  of  them,  may 
be  used,  to  accomplish  the  desired  re- 
sults— i.  e.,  to  get  engines  in  and  out  of 
the  terminal  without  delay;  and  to  re- 
duce the  number  of  laborers  needed  to 
the  minimum.  The  number  of  units  of 
Robertson  conveyor  needed  depend  on 
( 1 )  the  number  of  engines  which  arrive 
per  hour,  in  the  rush  hour;  (2)  the  size 
of  the  locomotives;  (3)  the  number  of 
locomotives  handled  per  day;  (4)  the 
efficiency  of  the  air  supply,  and  (5)  the 
labor  and  fire  knocker  situation. 

In  most  cases,  the  man  in  charge  of 
the  cinder  pits,  or  the  hostlers,  can  give 
the  information  off-hand  which  after  a 
few  minutes'  study,  will  indicate  the  lay- 
out to  be  used  and  the  capacity  to  be 
provided. 

Where  the  layout  is  such  that  only 
one  locomotive  can  be  dumped  at  a  time, 
the  fire  dumped  into  only  one  bucket, 


the  layout  will  handle  a  locomotive  on 
the  average  of  about  30  minutes. 

Where  two  conveyors  are  provided 
side  by  side,  close  enough  together  so 
that  two  men  may  draw  the  fire  into 
two  buckets  at  the  same  time,  the  same 
locomotive  can  be  handled  in  15  min- 
utes. Putting  in  additional  batteries  of 
two-unit  conveyors  will  make  it  possible 
to  handle  one  additional  locomotive 
every  15  minutes  for  every  double-unit 
conveyor. 

While  special  layouts  in  the  track  are 
often  found  necessary,  it  is  usually  ad- 
visable to  use  the  standard  conveyoi 
layout,  inclined  rails  and  supports,  be- 
cause it  is  always  easier  to  get  prompt 
delivery  on  standard  layouts  from  a 
manufacturer,  and  cheaper  for  the 
manufacturer  to  furnish  the  standard 
layout  than  a  special  one. 

The  fact  should  never  be  lost  sight  of 
that  the  design  of  a  cinder  conveyor  is 
made  for  a  certain  specific  slope  and 
height  of  inclined  rail  and  better  satis- 
faction is  obtained  from  the  standard 
layout,  which  is  the  result  of  many  years 
of  improvement  based  on  service,  than 
can  be  obtained  from  a  special  convey- 
or layout  or  design. 


(85) 


CHAPTER  XII 

Other  Installations 


Macon,  Ga. 

The  Southern  Railway  realized  the 
advantage  of  the  Robertson  Cinder 
Conveyor  for  cinder  pits  many  years 
ago  and  has  31  installations  now  in 
service. 

The  illustration  is  of  one  of  these 
conveyor  installations  at  Macon,  Ga. 


cinders  in  each  twenty-four  hours. 

When  this  pit  was  operated  by  hand 
it  required  four  men  regularly ;  and  two 
men  about  50  per  cent  of  their  time  ad- 
ditional, and  the  pit  was  never  clean. 
Even  with  this  force  at  the  pit,  engines 
were  often  delayed  and  had  to  be 
moved  around  to  different  places  and 


Robertson    Conveyor   at    Macon,   Ga.      Part   of   31    Robertson    Conveyors    on    the    Southern    Railway. 

This  installation,  having  two  Robert-  cleaned  somewhere  else  in  order  to  pre- 
son  conveyors,  was  made  in  April,  1913  vent  congestion  at  the  cinder  pit. 
and  takes  care  of  the  engines  for  a  12- 
pit  roundhouse.  In  a  twenty-four  hour 
day  there  are  approximately  three  At- 
lantic, five  Pacific,  seven  22x30  Con- 
solidated, one  American  and  one 
passenger  locomotive  taken  care  of ;  be-  dling  the  pit,  these  men  are  now  able  to 
sides  twenty  standard  20x26  switch  en-  keep  the  yard  clean  within  a  radius  of 
gines.  One  50-ton  car  is  loaded  with  100  feet  of  the  pit. 

(86) 


Since  the  installation  of  the  Robert- 
son conveyors,  the  number  of  laborers 
has  been  cut  down  to  two,  one  working 
a  day  and  one  working  a  night  shift  of 
twelve  hours  each.  In  addition  to  ban- 


OTHER     INSTALLATIONS 


HAND  OPERATED  PIT— COST  IN  1917. 

4  men  @  $1.20  per  day $       4.80 

2  men  50%  of  time,  @  $1.20  per.... 


day 


1.20 


.$        6.00 


Cost  per  day.. 

WITH  ROBERTSON  CONVEYORS. 
2  men  @  $1.50  per  day $        3.00 


Credit   for   cleaning  yard. 


1.00 


Net  cost  with  Robertson  Conveyor.$        2.00 
Saving    with    Robertson    Conveyor 

per  day   approximately $        4.00 

Saving    per    year $1,319.00 


These  figures,  which  were  furnished 
by  an  official  of  the  railroad,  would  have 
to  be  revised  in  accordance  with  present 
wages.  At  37c  an  hour,  this  saving 
would  now  be  as  follows: 


HAND  OPERATED  PIT. 

4  men    ...$14.80 

2  men,  50%   of  time _ 3.70 

Cost  per  day $18.50 

WITH  ROBERTSON  CONVEYORS. 

2  men  @  $3.70  per  day ."$        7.40 

Credit   for   cleaning  yard _...          2.40 


Cost  with  Robertson  Conveyor  per 
day  $  5.00 

Saving,  with  Robertson  Conveyor 
per  day  (maximum) $  13.50 

Saving  per  year  (average)  with 
Robertson  Conveyor  on  same 
basis  as  other  figures  were  made  $3,300.00 


The  official  from  whom  we  obtained 
the  figures  on  savings  of  this  installa- 
tion has  the  following  to  say  about  it: 

"It  has  been  my  experience  that  there 
is  no  comparison  whatever  in  favor  of 
the  depressed  track  cinder  pit,  as  com- 
pared with  the  pneumatic  (inclined) 
cinder  conveyor. 


gines  arrived  at  terminal,  they  could 
be  placed  on  the  pit  promptly.  Very 
often  with  the  pit  full  we  were  moving 
engines  about  over  the  yard  in  order  to 
clean  the  ash  pans  and  get  them  in  the 
roundhouse. 

"Since  we  have  had  the  pneumatic 
(inclined)  cinder  conveyor  our  engines 
are  all  cleaned  promptly  on  arrival  at 
pit  and  the  entire  premises  are  in  a 
thoroughly  cleanly  condition." 

Thirty-one  Robertson  conveyors  are 
located  on  various  parts  of  the  Southern 

Ry. 

Memphis,  Tenn. 

The  single-unit  Robertson  conveyor 
illustrated  herewith  had  been  in  use  for 
five  years  when  the  picture  was  taken, 
during  which  time  it  had  loaded  ap- 
proximately 182,500  cubic  yards  of 
cinders. 

A  special  apron  arrangement  was  in- 
stalled with  this  cinder  pit  to  increase 
the  capacity,  at  the  same  time  prevent- 
ing cinders  from  falling  outside  the  con- 
veyor bucket. 

Part  of  the  cinders  which  fall  on  these 
two  aprons  slide  into  the  bucket,  and 
the  rest  are  shoveled  in  when  the  cinder 
pit  is  not  busy.  This  makes  it  possible 
to  take  care  of  the  engines  more 
rapidly. 

This  conveyor  is  located  at  a  terminal 
which  has  three  main  line  divisions  en- 
tering it.  Forty-five  engines  are  han- 


"We    formerly   had    the    depressed-  died  during  24  hours  and  about  ll/2  cars, 

track   cinder  pit  at   Macon,   at  which  or  100  cubic  yards,  of  cinders  are  loaded 

time  we  kept  four  men  employed  con-  per  day.  The  cars  are  loaded  very  heav- 

tinually  and  they  were  not  able  to  keep  ily — upwards  of  60  yards  being  placed 

the  pit  clean  to  the  extent  that  as  en-  in  each  car.  There  were  four  laborers  at 

(87) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


FORMER  COST  OF  HAND  OPERATED  PIT. 

4  men  @  48  hours  per  day 

Time  charged  up  against  Robertson  Conveyor  per  day  


8.40 
.70 


Saving  per  day  with  Robertson  Conveyor $          7.70 

Saving  per  year  with  Robertson  Conveyor $  2,805.00 

PRESENT  SAVINGS  AT  37c  PER  HOUR  FOR  LABOR. 

4  laborers  @  $3.70  per  day $        14.40 

With  Conveyor  4  hours  per  day $         1.50 

Saving  per   day  with   Robertson   Conveyor $        12.90 

Saving  per  year  with  Robertson  Conveyor $  5,610.00 


this  point  in  1917  working  in  12  hour 
shifts,  but  only  4  hours  per  day,  at  a 
cost  of  70  cents,  were  consumed  in  load- 
ing cinders.  These  men  also  knock  the 
fires  and  they  would  have  been  re- 
quired for  this  work  were  there  no  con- 
veyors a,t  all  at  this  point.  The  ap- 
proximate actual  cost  for  loading  cin- 
ders per  cubic  yard  at  that  time  was 
about  $0.007.  The  engines  are  handled 
easily  at  this  place,  without  congestion, 


by  the  conveyor.  Since  the  pit  oper- 
ators knock  fires,  there  is  really  a  sav- 
ing of  four  laborers,  which  would  be 
required,  in  addition,  to  load  the  cin- 
ders were  they  loaded  by  hand. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  before  installa- 
tion of  the  Robertson  Conveyor,  48 
hours  labor  for  loading  cinders  was  re- 
quired at  this  pit,  at  a  cost  of  $8.40. 
There  was  a  saving  of  $7.70  per  day,  at 
the  wage  rate  of  171//2C  per  hour. 


Robertson    Cinder   Conveyor   at    Memphis,    Tenn.,    Which  from    1911   to   1916  Saved   $14,052.50  When    Labor  Was 
Paid   $1.75    Per    Day.     At  the    Present    Rate   of  35c    Per  Hour,   Saving   Per  Year  Will   Run  $5,610.00. 

(88) 


OTHER     INSTALLATIONS 


One  statement  made  regarding  this 
conveyor  is  that  really  the  cost  of  load- 
ing cinders  is  nothing  because  they  are 
loaded  between  times,  when  the  men 
would  otherwise  have  nothing  to  do. 
There  is  practically  no  place  in  the 
country  where  a  man  who  cleans  fires  is 
required  to  do  any  other  work;  in  fact 
it  would  hardly  be  profitable  to  take  a 
man  away,  who  is  employed  for  this 
purpose,  for  occasional  odd  jobs.  Prac- 


packing  leather;  that  is,  packing  a  pis- 
ton, and  the  conveyor  is  now  in  first 
class  condition. 

Twenty- four  Robertson  Conveyors 
are  located  at  various  points  on  the 
Frisco  Ry. 

Illmo,  Mo. 

At  Illmo,  Mo.,  is  situated  a  terminal 
on  the  St.  Louis  Southwestern  Railway 
where  quite  a  number  of  engines  have 


L 


Robertson    Cinder  Conveyors   at    Illmo,    Mo.,   Where   Four   Double  Conveyors  Were   Installed   and   No   Laborers 
At   All   Are    Employed.     The    Fire    Knockers    Handle  the    Conveyors   and    There    Is    No    Labor    Problem   At  This 
Pit.      At   Any    Pit  of  Ordinary   Size   The   Installation   of  a     Sufficient     Number     of     Robertson     Conveyors     Will 
Make    It    Possible    To    Do    Away    With    the    Cinder    Pit.  Labor    Entirely. 


tically  all  of  his  time  would  be  taken  up 
in  going  to  and  from  the  different 
places  where  he  works,  with  the  result 
that  he  would  frequently  not  be  on  hand 
when;  it  is  necessary  to  knock  a  fire. 
Usually,  the  fire  knockers  are  not  busy 
between  times  of  knocking  fires,  and  can 
handle  the  Robertson  conveyor  when 
otherwise  they  would  be  idle. 

This  conveyor  had  only  been  over- 
hauled once  in  its  first  five  years  of 
service.  Xo  repairs  had  been  made  in 
the  meantime  with  the  exception  of  one 


to  be  handled  very  expeditiously.  The 
illustration  shows  the  cinder  pits  at  this 
terminal.  There  is  a  27-stall  round- 
house and  six  emergency  tracks  to  take 
care  of  the  engines  which  are  turned. 
An  average  of  37  locomotives  is  han- 
dled here  every  24  hours  and  about  four 
carloads  of  cinders  are  loaded.  These 
are  not  loaded  heavily,  however,  their 
capacity  being  low. 

Previous  to  the  installation  of  the 
Robertson  conveyors,  four  laborers  were 
required  at  this  place  to  load  cinders, 


(89) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


and  in  1917  these  men  were  being  paid 
$1.75  per  day.  One  of  the  reasons  for 
the  adoption  of  the  Robertson  Convey- 
ors was  the  necessity  for  taking  care  of 
a  large  number  of  engines  very  rapidly, 
and  this  was  difficult  under  hand  opera- 
tion. The  time  that  the  locomotives 
were  at  the  cinder  pit  has  been  cut  down 
materially  since  the  installation  of  the 
conveyors. 

The  conveyors  are  operated  by  the 
men  who  knock  fires  and  there  are  four 
cf  these  on  each  shift.  Of  course,  these 
men  would  be  required  at  this  point 
anyway  for  knocking  fires, — there  are 
no  laborers  required  especially  for  the 
operation  of  the  conveyors.  The  sav- 
ing in  labor  in  a  year's  time  was  given 
by  the  official  in  charge,  as  $2,000  per 
year  in  1917.  At  the  present  rate  of 
43c  per  hour,  this  saving  would  now 
be  $4,825.00. 

It  is  apparent  that  we  are  saving 
four  laborers  at  this  place  over  what 
was  necessary  under  hand-pit  opera- 
tion; and  in  that  degree  reducing  the 
labor  requirements  at  this  point.  The 
officials  look  upon  the  Robertson  cinder 
conveyors  very  favorably  as  a  labor- 
saving  appliance. 

The  cars  that  are  used  at  this  point 
are  loaded  rather  lightly,  as  they  are 
cars  of  an  old  type  which  are  not  in 
general  service.  The  cars  are  loaded 
with  about  20  cubic  yards  of  cinders  so 
that  there  are  about  80  cubic  yards 
loaded  each  day. 

There  are  18  Robertson  Conveyors  in 
use  on  the  St.  Louis  Southwestern 
Railway. 


Kankakee,  111. 

Ivankakee  is  a  medium-sized  engine 
terminal  on  the  Illinois  Central  R.  R., 
where  35  engines  are  handled  every  24 
hours.  The  engines  have  to  be  handled 
quite  rapidly  at  certain  times  during  the 
day,  and  the  cinder  pit  for  this  reason  is 
a  very  important  part  of  the  terminal 
equipment. 

Formerly  cinders  were  handled  here 
by  hand  at  a  large  expense  for  labor, 
and  at  this  location  as  at  most  others, 
laborers  were  hard  to  obtain  at  anv 


Two  of  Four  Units  of  Robertson  Conveyors  at  Kan- 
kakee, III.  Cinder  Pit  Laborers  Here  are  Paid  43c 
Per  Hour,  and  This  Installation  is  Saving  $4,825.00  Per 
Year. 


price  and  practically  impossible  to  keep 
on  the  job  more  than  a  few  days  at  a 
time. 

At  the  present  time  cinders  are  being 
handled  at  this  pit  with  absolutely  no 
cost  for  labor  and  they  are  being  han- 
dled with  absolute  satisfaction  and  with- 
out any  delay  whatever. 

A  stop  watch  test  was  conducted  by 
a  personal  representative  of  the  author 
at  Kankakee  to  determine  how  long  it 
took  to  handle  a  fire  with  the  Robert- 


OTHER     INSTALLATIONS 


TIME  FOR   PULLING  AND   LOADING 
A  FIRE— I.  C.  LOCOMOTIVE  2315. 

Spotted  on  conveyor  11:20  A.   M. 

Rear  end   of  fire   cleaned    11:29:15^. 

Time  for  cleaning  rear  end  of  fire  9  min 

^2    sec. 

Engine  moved  and  front  end  cleaned 
11:35:4854. 

Time  for  cleaning  front  end  6  min.  33  sec. 

Ash  pan  closed  11.37:10. 

Total  time  for  cleaning  fire  2  buckets  of 
cinders  17  min.  10  sec. 


son  Inclined  Track  Conveyor,  with  the 
above  results. 

For  dumping  bucket  No.  1,  22  sec- 
onds were  required;  10  seconds  to  raise 
and  dump,  and  12  seconds  to  bring  it 
back  in  place  under  the  ash  pan. 

Bucket  No.  2  was  dumped  in  9  sec- 
onds and  brought  back  and  to  place  in 
10  seconds,  requiring  19  second j.  It 
took  6  minutes  and  2  seconds  to  wet 
down  the  cinders  so  the  man  at  the  pit 
put  in  7  minutes  and  1  second  after  the 
engine  was  moved,  to  load  the  cinders. 

The  total  time  for  handling  the  en- 
gine and  letting  down  and  loading  the 
cinders  was  23  minutes  and  53  seconds. 

We  give  below  comparison  of  the  cost 
of  handling  cinders  at  Kankakee  by 
hand  and  by  the  use  of  the  Robertson 
Inclined  Track  Conveyor. 

Cost  of  hostlers  and  helpers  for  either 
hand-pit  operation  or  Robertson  con- 
veyor operation  is  the  same. 

Of  course  it  takes  a  longer  time  to 
clean  some  fires  than  to  clean  others, 
and  the  main  thing  to  be  noted  in  the 
time  study  is  the  length  of  time  that 
it  took  the  conveyor  to  handle  the  cin- 
ders after  the  engine  was  through 
dumping.  The  time  for  dumping  the 


two  buckets  and  bringing  back  to  place 
was  only  41  seconds.  Added  to  this 
is  6  minutes  and  2  seconds  for  wetting 
down  the  cinders,  making  a  total  of  G 
minutes  and  43  seconds  for  handling 
two  buckets  full  of  cinders.  With  proper 
water  arrangement  this  time  taken  for 
wetting  down  cinders  is  entirely  elim- 
inated. 

The  time  study  above  shows  why  the 
two  units  of  Robertson  Conveyors  are 
put  in  close  together.  It  not  only  saves 
excavation  but  it  greatly  hastens  the 
work  of  pulling  a  fire,  when  there  is 
more  than  one  bucket  full.  If  the  con- 
veyors are  located  60  or  80  feet  apart 
there  would  be  constant  delay  while  the 
engine  was  being  spotted,  and  while  the 
helpers  walked  back  and  forth  between 
these  pits.  With  an  installation  like 


HAND  CINDER  PIT  COST. 

Number  of  engines  handled  per  year_.12,775 

Number  of  laborers  required 3 

Rate,  per  hour  $  .31^ 

Hours,   per   day 12 

Total  labor  cost,  per  day -...$11.24 

Cost,   per   year $4,002.60 

Cost  per  engine,  by  hand $     .31  4/10 

ROBERTSON  CINDER  CONVEYOR 
COST. 

Number   of  laborers   required none 

Saving  per  engine  $     .31  4/10 

Total  saving  per  year  with   Robertson  In- 
clined   Track    Conveyors $4,002.60 

NUMBER  OF  HOSTLERS  REQUIRED. 
Hand  Pit  Operation. 

2  hostlers  @  52}^c  per  hour. 
2   helpers   @  22c  per  hour. 

Total    per    day $      17.88 

Total    per    year 6,526.20 

Robertson  Inclined  Track  Conveyor. 

2  hostlers  (5)  52^c  per  hour. 
2  helpers  @  22c  per  hour. 

Total    per    day „$      17.88 

Total    per    year 6,526.20 


(91) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


that  at  Kankakee  there  is  only  a  few 
steps  between  the  two  buckets  and  the 
fire  is  pulled  without  any  delay  what- 
ever. 

As  shown  in  the  illustrations,  the 
cinder  pit  layout  at  Kankakee  includes 
four  units  of  the  Robertson  Inclined 
Track  Conveyor.  The  Illinois  Central 
has  38  Robertson  Inclined  Track  Con- 
veyors located  at  various  points  on  the 
line. 

Somerset,  Pa. 

The  B.  &  O.  R.  R.  terminal  at  Som- 
erset, Pa.,  was  built  5  years  ago.  The 
Somerset  division  uses  large  Mikado 
engines,  whose  fires  are  twice  as  large 
as  the  ordinary  engine.  When  compar- 
ing present  and  past  costs  for  handling 
cinders,  present  and  past  sizes  of  fires 
must  be  considered  also. 

This  terminal  handles  25  Mikado  en- 
gines every  24  hours,  employing  2  fire 
knockers  who  act  as  hostlers  and  oper- 
ate the  Robertson  Inclined  Track  Cin- 
der Conveyors  also.  Their  time  is 
charged  to  transportation.  No  cinder 
conveyor  charge  is  made. 

It  would  require  6  more  men  to 
shovel  and  load  the  cinders  from  25  fires 
of  the  700  class  engines  (a  smaller  en- 
gine) and  would  take  12  men  to  shovel 
and  load  the  cinders  from  25  Mikado 
engine  fires.  At  present  wages  it  would 


half  cent  per  minute.  With  Robertson 
conveyors  only  40  seconds  per  fire  are 
consumed  to  wet-down  and  load  cin- 
ders. This  costs  $0.004  per  fire  or  lOc 
for  25  Mikado  engine  fires. 

The  management  here  says  that,  aside 
from  loading  cinders  instantly  and  re- 
ducing the  labor  on  the  pit  to  a  mere 


Showing  the   Layout  of  the   Four  Units  of  Robertson 
Conveyors  at  Kankakee,   III. 

nothing,  one  great  factor  is  that  any 
man  can  operate  the  conveyor  imme- 
diately. When  hiring  new  men  no  time 
is  needed  for  instruction. 

The  temperature  goes  to  21°  below 
zero  here  in  the  winter.  Having  the  air 
line  well  laid  out,  they  have  had  no 
freezing  up  of  the  air  line  during  the 
five  winters  it  has  been  in.  The  term- 
inal lies  on  ground  that  is  flat  for  miles 
and  the  cold  wind  and  snow  has  a  good 
sweep  over  it. 

They  have   two  single-unit  Robert- 


son conveyors  installed,  90  feet  apart, 
cost  $53.28  per  day  or  $2.13  per  fire  for  It  requires  one  man  from  40  to  60  min- 
the  Mikado  locomotives,  if  the  men  utes  to  clean  one  Mikado  fire.  The  con- 


could  be  obtained. 

Wages  have  increased  here  since 
August,  1918,  from  32y2c  Per  nour  *° 
37c  per  hour.  At  37c  per  hour  they 
are  paying  wages  of  $0.006  or  over  a 


veyor  consumes  40  seconds  per  fire  of 
this  time. 

The  following  table  shows  what  it 
would  cost  to  handle  fires  here  with 
hand  loading. 


(92) 


OTHER     INSTALLATIONS 


HAND    CINDER   PIT. 

6  men  37c  per  hour,  per  day $  26.60 

Cost  per  fire  by  hand 1.06 

25    fires    per   day,    9,125    per   year, 

cost   per   year „ 9,700.00 

ROBERTSON    CONVEYOR    CINDER 
PIT. 

2  men  at  37c  per  hour,  per  day... .$          8.88 

Cost  per  fire .355 

25  fires  per  day,  9,125  per  year 
Cost    per    year    with    Robertson 

Conveyors    3,239.375 

Amount  saved  per  fire  with  Rob- 
ertson Conveyors  .705 

Amount    saved    with    Robertson 

Conveyors  per  year 6,460.00 


Nineteen  Robertson  Cinder  Convey- 
ors are  located  at  various  points  on  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio. 


tions  is  productive  of  speed  and  service. 

With  the  latter  method,  having  dou- 
ble-conveyor installation  with  buckets 
seating  under  adjacent  tracks,  two  en- 
gines may  have  their  fires  cleaned  at 
once;  and  with  double  conveyors,  four 
fires  can  be  cleaned  at  the  same  time. 

This  terminal  handles  the  business  of 
three  divisions,  the  Eastern,  Illinois 
and  the  Missouri  divisions  and  60  en- 
gines are  handled  every  24  hours. 
These  engines  are  mixed  classes,  and  in- 
clude Switch  engines,  Pacific  type  en- 
gines and  Mikado  type  engines.  The 


Double  Unit  Robertson  Conveyors  Arranged  Back  to 
Back,  Two  Conveyors  Loading  Into  the  Same  Car. 
This  Installation  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  is  Saving  $15,206.00 
Per  Year. 


St.  Louis,  Mo. 

The  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad  has 
installed  two,  double-unit,  Robertson 
Inclined  Track  Cinder  Conveyors  at 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  placed  back  to  back, 
whereas,  in  the  usual  double-unit  instal- 
lations the  conveyors  are  placed  side  by 
side,  with  buckets  .sealing  under  the 
same  track.  Either  of  these  installa- 


Robertson    Inclined    Track    Cinder    Conveyor    at    St. 
Louis.     Car    Dumping    Its    Load. 


power  requirements'  are  irregular  and 
bunched  and  this  calls  for  the  very  least 
time  possible  being  spent  in  cleaning 
the  engines  and  getting  them  over  the 
pits.  Under  hand  operation,  there  was 
not  always  room  for  the  engine  when  it 
came  in,  but  with  the  Robertson  In- 
clined Track  Conveyors  there  is  never 
any  delay  but  always  a  bucket  waiting 
for  an  engine  as  it  comes  in. 


(93) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


COST  WITH   HAND   OPERATED   PIT. 

M.  P.  R.  R. 


EAST   ST.   LOUIS. 


Cleaning  Fires  and  Loading  Cinders  Complete. 

4  fire  knockers  days,  4  nights,  40c  per  hour,  per  day,  $38.40,  per  year $14,016.00 

5  cinder  shovelers  days,  5  nights,  87c  per  hour,   per  day  $44.40;  per  year 16,206.00 


Total  cost  per  year $30,222.00 

60  fires  per  day,  or  21,900  per  year. 
Cost  per  fire,  $1.38. 

WITH  ROBERTSON  INCLINED  TRACK  CONVEYORS. 

Cleaning  Fires  and   Loading  Cinders   Complete. 

4  fire  knockers  per  shift— 3   shifts.   12  men  at    $3.20  per  day $        38.40 

Per    year    14,016.00 

60  fires  per  day  or  21,900  per  year. 
Cost  per  fire,  $0.64. 

SAVING  WITH  ROBERTSON  INCLINED  TRACK  CONVEYORS. 

Number  of  men  saved,  6. 

Saved  per  fire  $1.38  minus  $0.64.  or  $0.74  per   fire. 

Saving  per  year,  $16,206.00. 


Under  hand  operation,  10  men  were 
required,  5  days  and  5  nights  and  the 
work  was  let  out  to  a  contractor.  Trou- 
ble was  experienced  at  this  pit  constant- 
ly with  labor  and  with  congestion. 

Under  hand  operation  there  were 
also  8  fire  knockers  and  helpers  so  there 
were  18  men  at  this  pit.  Since  install- 
ing the  Robertson  Conveyors  they  have 


eliminated  the  10  cinder  shovelers  and 
are  handling  the  work  with  the  fire 
knockers  and  helpers.  They  actually 
have  more  fire  knockers  and  helpers  be- 
cause they  have  reduced  the  shift  to  8 
hours  per  day  and  while  they  use  the 
same  number  of  men  for  shifts  they 
have  an  extra  shift  per  day. 

These    men    knock    the    fires,    load 


Robertson   Cinder   Conveyors   at  Waterville,    Me.     The  se   Conveyors   Operate   in    Coldest   Winter   Weather,   the 
Photograph   Having   Been  Taken  When   it  Was  32°   Below  Zero. 

(94) 


OTHER     INSTALLATIONS 


the  cinders,  coal  and  water  the  en-  this  and  the  cinder  pit  is  kept  in  first 
gines.  class  condition  without  any  congestion 
With  the  hand  cinder  pit  the  shov-  whatever.  Conveyors  are  ready  to  re- 
elers  and  pits  were  in  use  or  working  at  ceive  the  engines  whenever  they  arrive, 
all  times  in  the  24  hours  and  it  was  abso-  Sixty-two  of  the  large  railways  have 
lutely  necessary  that  it  should  be  so.  anywhere  from  6  to  38  Robertson  Con- 
Loading  the  cinders  with  the  Robert-  veyors  on  cinder  pits,  handling  from  '3 
son  Cinder  Conveyors  has  changed  all  up  to  15  engines. 


(95) 


CHAPTER   XIII 


Inclined  Track  Coaling  Stations 


The  cost  of  coaling  locomotives  de- 
pends very  largely  upon  the  cost  of  the 
apparatus  or  equipment  necessary  in 
the  coaling  operation.  The  cost  of 
coaling  stations  usually  runs  up  into 
the  tens  of  thousands  of  dollars,  entail- 
ing an  overhead  in  interest  and  depre- 
ciation which  makes  their  use  prohibi- 
tive at  any  except  large  coaling  points. 

The  cost  of  handling  the  coal  for  en- 


inoney  over  what  it  would  cost  by  hand, 
which  is  the  only  method  that  would  be 
justified  at  a  place  where  so  few  loco- 
motives are  being  coaled. 

The  capacity  of  this  machine  is  very 
greatly  in  excess  of  that  required  at  this 
point.  It  takes  only  nine  minutes  to 
coal  any  one  of  the  locomotives,  so  that 
actually  the  Robertson  Inclined  Track 
Coaling  Station  is  busy  only  36  min- 
utes per  day,  and  handles  an  average  of 


A    Close-up    View    of   the    Robertson    Inclined    Track 
Coaling  Station  at  Granite  City,   Ills. 


gines  differs  so  greatly  at  different  loca- 
tions, that  average  figures  do  not  mean 
much.  Difference  in  costs  at  the  same 
location,  showing  former  and  present 
methods,  however,  are  conclusive  proof 
of  the  value  of  the  methods  or  equip- 
ment used. 

Granite  City,  111. 

The  coaling  station  at  Granite  City, 
111.  is  handling  the  coaling  of  only  four 
locomotives  per  24  hours  and  doing  it 
economically.  It  is  saving  a  lot  of 


Robertson     Coaling     Station     at     Granite     City, 
Which  Coals  Locomotives  for  9/10c  Per  Ton. 


Ills., 


seven  tons  per  engine,  or  28  tons  per 
clay. 

At  Granite  City,  one  man  is  em- 
ployed days  and  one  nights,  and  he 
operates  a  Robertson  Inclined  Track 
Cinder  Conveyor  in  addition  to  the  Rob- 
ertson Coaling  Station.  These  two  men 
are  also  the  fire  knockers,  and  their  time 
is  charged  up  against  the  three  opera- 
tions. 

The  actual  time  that  the  men  spend 
in  coaling  these  locomotives  is  nine  min- 
utes per  engine,  or  36  minutes  per  24 


(96) 


INCLINED     TRACK     COALING     STATIONS 


Granite  City,  III.,  Cinder  Conveyor,  Where  But  10 
Engines  Per  Day  Are  Handled.  This  Conveyor  Is 
Saving  $3,241.00  Per  Year. 


hours,  actual  cost  about  24c.  The  ac- 
tual cost  per  ton  of  coal  is  9-10  of  a 
cent,  a  figure  which  could  be  multiplied 
several  times  and  still  be  very  econom- 
ical considering  the  number  of  locomo- 
tives handled. 

The  Robertson  Inclined  Track  Coal- 
ing Conveyor  does  not  break  up  the 
coal,  as  the  high  lift  mechanical  plants 
do  in  lifting  the  coal  40  to  90  feet, 
dropping  it  three  or  four  times  and 
running  it  through  yards  of  chutes. 

The  engines  have  only  a  half  hour  in 
which  to  get  coal,  sand  and  water  and 


ROBERTSON    INCLINED    T 
COALING  STATION,  GRA1> 
CITY,  ILL. 

Number    of    tons    handled    per    24 
hours 

RACK 
IITE 

28 
2  tons 

4 
36  min. 
9-10c 

2 

37c 

Capacity  of  conveyor  per  trip  
Number    of    engines    handled    per 
day              

Time    consumed   per   engine  —  9 
minutes  •  total 

Actual  cost  per  ton  with   Robert- 
son Coaling   Station 

Number  of  laborers  —  1  days  and  1 
nights    

Rate  per  hour  

have  their  fires  cleaned  and  the  cinders 
loaded.  For  this  reason  the  quick  oper- 
ation of  the  cinder  pit  and  of  tfre  coal- 
ing station  are  necessary  in  order  that 
sufficient  time  may  be  left  for  cleaning 
the  fire  adequately.  Hence  the  installa- 
tion of  Robertson  Inclined  Track  Coal- 
ing Station  and  also  a  Robertson  Cin- 
der Conveyor. 

Ithaca,  N.  Y. 

The  illustrations  show  a  Robertson 
Inclined  Track  Coaling  Station  at 
Ithaca,  N.  Y.  where  only  a  few  en- 
gines are  handled  during  the  day.  A 
single-unit  station  was  considered  large 
enough  for  this  point.  For  any  con- 
siderable number  of  engines  to  be 
coaled,  there  should  be  at  least  two  units 
located  close  beside  each  other  similar 
to  the  cinder  conveyors  on  the  Pere 
Marquette  at  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  or 


Robertson  Inclined  Coaling  Station  at  Geneva,  N.  Y., 
Which  is  Saving  $5,058  Per  Year  in  Labor  Charge  Over 
Former  Hand  Methods  of  Coaling  Engines. 


(97) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


Robertson    Coaling   Station   at   Ithaca,   N.   Y. 
Dropping  a   Load  of  Coal. 


method  of  coaling  it  costs  lOc  per  en- 
gine and  for  9  engines  90c. 

Previous   to   the   installation   of   the 
Robertson     Inclined     Track     Coalino- 

O 

Station,  the  coal  wa,s  shoveled  from  the 
car  to  a  broad  platform  sufficiently  high 
so  that  the  locomotive  tender  might  be 
brought  beside  it  and  loaded  by  the 
shovel  gang.  With  this  method,  two 
additional  men  loaded  the  tenders  by 
shoveling  from  the  pile  of  coal  that  they 
had  previously  unloaded  from  a  car. 
Each  worked  on  the  dock  at  various 
times  equivalent  to  9  hours  straight 
time,  and  at  the  present  scale  of  wages 
Bu  they  would  receive  40c  per  hour. 

The  cars  are  run  on  a  slightly  ele- 

at  Waterville,  Me.  With  this  arrange-  vated  track  over  a  hopper  capable  of 
ment,  the  engines,  of  course,  could  be  holding  a  carload  of  coal — about  50- 
coaled  very  much  faster,  in  fact  just  as  tons.  While  air  is  pumped  into  the 
fast  as  with  a,  chute,  where  the  air  sup-  drum,  the  hostler  opens  the  horizontal 
ply  was  good.  slide  door  at  the  bottom  of  the  bin,  and 

Nine  engines  are  coaled  here  every 
twenty- four  hours.  No  man  is  as- 
signed to  the  loader,  the  loading  being 
done  by  the  hostlers.  The  conveyors 
are  worked  from  the  compressed  air 
from  the  locomotive.  The  air  hose  on 
the  rear  of  the  tender  is  attached  to  a 
long  hose  that  connects  with  a  large  res- 
ervoir used  with  the  hoist. 

This  Robertson  Coaling  Station  has 
been  in  about  three  years  and  has  given 
splendid  service,  requiring  only  minor 
repairs. 

At  the  present  time  an  engine  is 
coaled  in  15  minutes  or  for  the  nine 
engines  the  time  is  2  hours  and  15  min- 
utes. The  hostler  is  paid  40C  per  hour.  Robertson  Inclined  Track  Coaling  Station  at  Ithaca, 

This      means      that      with      the      nrpepnt      N'  Y"  Which   is  Saving  S2'295-00  Per  Year  Over  Cost 

of  Coaling    Engines   Daily   By  Hand. 

(98) 


INCLINED     TRACK     COALING    STATIONS 


COST  WITH  HAND  LOADING,  AT  ITHACA,  N.  Y. 

2  men,  9  hours  each.  40c  per  hour,  per  day $        7.20 

Per    year 2,628.00 

9  fires  per  day  or  3,285  per  year. 
Cost  per  fire,  $0.80. 


COST  WITH  ROBERTSON  INCLINED  TRACK  COALING  STATION. 

1  man,  2  hours,  15  minutes,  40c  per  hour,  per  day 


.90 


Per  year  „ 328.50 

9   fires  per  day  or  3,285  per  year. 
Cost  per  fire,  $0.10. 


Number  of  men  saved,  1. 

Saved  per  fire,  $0.80  minus  $0.10  or  $0.70  per  fire. 

Saving   per   3^ear   with   Robertson    Coaling   Station,  $2,299.50. 


lets  a  couple  of  tons  of  coal  run  into  the 
car;  then  shuts  the  slide,  which  is  oper- 
ated with  a  lever,  and  runs  the  car  up 
and  over  tender  where  it  dumps. 

Geneva,  N.  Y. 

A  single-unit  Robertson  Coaling  Sta- 
tion is  sufficient  for  handling  the  6  en- 


gines which  are  coaled  at  Geneva,  X.  Y. 
every  24  hours. 

One  42c  per  hour  man  works  on  the 
dock  here,  three  hours  out  of  24  hours, 
coaling  engines.  He  has  no  help.  Part 
of  his  time  is  taken  in  cleaning  the  pit 
of  coal  and  picking  up  coal  around  the 
dock.  His  cost  in  labor  for  3  hours  for 
six  engines  would  be  $1.26  or  a  half 
hour  at  each  engine.  This  is  21c  per 
engine  or  $1.26  per  day. 


Robertson  Inclined  Track  Coaling  Station  at  Geneva, 
New  York. 


View  of  Robertson  Inclined  Track  Coaling  Station 
at  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  Showing  Coal  Car  and  Location  of 
Hopper. 


(99) 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


COST  WITH  HAND  OPERATED  COAL  DOCK,  AT  GENEVA,  N.  Y. 

3  men.  12  hours  each,  42c  per  hour,   per  day  

....$      15.12 

Per    year  

....  5,518.80 

6  fires  per  day  or  2,190  per  year. 

Cost    per    fire  

2.51 

COST  WITH  ROBERTSON  COALING  STATION. 

1   man.   3   hours,   42c   per  hour,   per   day  

1.26 

Per   year   

....      4/59.90 

6  fires  per  day  or  2,190  per  year. 

Cost    per    fire  

21 

SAVING   WITH    ROBERTSON    COALING   STATION. 

Number  of  men  saved  

2 

Saved  per  fire  with  Robertson  Coaling  Station,  $2.51   minus  $0.21  or  

2.30 

Saving  per  year   with   Robertson  Coaling  Station    

5,058.00 

Before  the  Robertson  Coaling  Sta- 
tion was  installed,  coal  was  shoveled  by 
one  man  working  12  hours  days,  and  2 
men  working  12  hours  nights.  Under 
the  present  scale  of  wages  at  42c  per 
hour,  the  day  cost  would  be  $5.04,  night 
cost  $10.08,  or  a  total  cost  of  $15.12. 

Mr.  McNamara,  who  has  been  in 
charge  of  coaling  at  this  point  for  many 
years,  stated  that  the  point  was  so  small 
that  expenses  were  high  at  the  best. 
But  an  immense  saving  is  being  made, 


as  the  figures  show,  even  though  the 
cost  per  engine  is  not  as  low  as  in  some 
other  places. 

These  are  not  the  only  installations 
of  the  Robertson  Coaling  Stations ;  they 
are  also  found  on  such  roads  as  the 
Sante  Fe,  the  Hocking  Valley,  and  the 
Southern  Railway.  The  descriptions 
given,  however,  are  sufficient  to  show 
what  tremendous  savings  may  be  ef- 
fected by  a  Robertson  Conveyor  for 
coaling  locomotives. 


(100) 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 
A 

American   Railway  Association ;  Report  on  Cinder   Pits 43 

Argentine,  Kans.,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings 4(i 

Article  on  Comparative  Costs  of  Handling      Cinders 72 

A.  T.  &  S.  F.  RY 46 

Average  Cost  of  Cinder  Pit  Operation 71 

Average  Cinder  Pit  Savings *70 

Average  Savings  at  Cinder  Pits 70 

Average  Savings  at  Cinder  Pits,  Diagram 70 

B 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  R.  R.,  Robertson  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings 91 

C 

Charlottesville,  Va.,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings 60 

Chesapeake  &  Ohio  Ry.  Summary  of  Savings  Made  with   Robertson  Conveyors 62 

C.  &  O.  Ry.  Robertson  Conveyors,  On 53 

Chicago,  18th  St.,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings 47 

Chillicothe,  111.,  Robertson  Conveyor  Costs  and   Savings 49 

Cinder  Pit,  Average  Cost  of  Operation -  71 

Cinder  Pit  Cross  Sections 43-44 

Cinder  Pit,  Hand,  Plan  of 40 

Cinder  Pit  Layouts , 76 

Cinder  Pits ;  Report  of  Committee  on  Buildings  A.   R.  E.  A 43 

Cinder  Pits ;  Comparative  Costs 38 

Cinder  Pits,  Comparative  Costs  of  Operation 72 

Cinder  Pits ;  Water 35 

Coaling  Stations  95 

Comparative  Costs  of  Cinder  Pit  Operation 72 

Comparative  Costs,  Cinder  Pits 38 

Conveyor  Layouts,  Robertson 76 

Cordeal,  E.,  Assistant  to  General  Superintendent,  T.  &  P.,  Article  on  Cinder  Pits 72 

Correct  Installation 80 

Corwith  Terminal,  Robertson  Conveyor  Costs  and   Savings 49 

Cost   Comparison,   Three   Types   of   Cinder   Pits   41-42 

Cost  of  Turning  Engines 16 

D 

Danger  In  Water  Pits .;..... 39 

Design  and  Layout  of  Cinder  Pits ,. 75 

Detroit,  Mich.,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings 65 

E 

Eighteenth  St.,  Chicago,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings. 47 

Electrically  Operated  Robertson  Conveyors 81 

Engines  ;  Cost  of  Turning 16 

Equipment,  Value  of 35 

F 
Fort  Madison,  la.,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings 50 

G 
Geneva,  N.  Y..  Robertson   Coaling  Station  Costs  and  Savings 99 

101 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


Gladstone,  Va.,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs   and   Savings 81 

Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings 68 

Granite  City,  111.,  Robertson  Coaling  Station  Costs  and  Savings 95 

H 

Hand  Cinter  Pit  Photographs 12,  15,  26,  29,  32,  35,  40,  47,  48',  49,  50,  51,  59 

Handley,  W.  Va.,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs  and   Savings 61 

Handling  Cinders,  Cost  per  Engine,  40  Engines  per   Day 73 

Handling  Cinders,  10  Engines  per  Day,  Cost  of  Handling  per  Engine 74 

Hand    Loading  of   Cinders,   Cost   on   Pere    Marquette   65 

Hand  Operated  Cinder  Pit -  74 

Hand  Operated  Cinder  Pits,  Cost — 

Hinton,  W.  Va.,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings ..  58 

Huntington,  W.  Va.,  Robertson  Conveyor   Costs  and  Savings .-  54 

I 

Illinois  Central  R.  R.,  Robertson  Conveyor  Costs  and   Savings... ..  90 

Illmo,  Mo.,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings 

Increase  In  Wages - 

Increased  Savings 13 

Installation,    Correct 80 

Installation  of  Cinder  Pits : 75 

Installation  of  Robertson  Conveyors ,... — 77 

Ithaca,    N.   Y.,    Robertson    Coaling   Station    Costs    and    Savings.. 97 

K 

Kankakee,  111.,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs   and   Savings 90 

Kansas  City,  Kans.,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings .  46 

Kansas  City,  Mo.,  Robertson  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings ..  51 

L 

Laborers  Not  Needed  With  Robertson  Conveyors  

Labor    Conditions 

Labor   Costs 

Labor,  Fluctuating  Demand 

Labor,  Fluctuating  Supply — 

Labor  Saving -  27 

Labor-Saving  Equipment,  Increased  Use  of...—  37 

Labor  Saving,  Necessity  for -  25 

Labor  Shortage , 

Labor,  Transient 

Layout  Similar  to  Grand  Rapids  Robertson  Conveyors  82 

Layouts,  Robertson  Conveyors -  7c 

Layouts,  Cinder  Pit -  76 

Layouts,  Plan  of,  for  Robertson  Conveyors  — 

Layouts  for  Cinder  Pits,  Typical ....----  -  "8 

Lexington,  Ky.,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings....  .  59 

Lexington  Jet.,   Mo.,   Robertson   Conveyor   Costs  and  Savings...  ..  51 

Locomotive  Coaling  Stations,  Robertson — -  ....95,   96,    97,    98,    99 

Locomotive  Delays,  Cost  of 22 

Locomotive,  Its  Value 21 

Locomotive  Time  Hauling  Trains 22 

Locomotive   Photographs 21,  22,  23,  36 

Locomotives,  Decrease  in  Usable ,. 34 

102 


TABLE     OF     CONTENTS 


Locomotives,  Number  in  U.  S 14 

Ludington,  Mich.,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs  and  Saving's  67 

M 

McGregor  Terminal,  C.  M.  &  St.  P.  Ry 17 

AI aeon,  Ga.,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs    and    Savings 86 

Memphis,  Tenn.,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings $7 

Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.,  Robertson  Conveyor  Costs   and   Savings 83 

N 

Necessity  for  Labor  Saving 25 

Necessity  for  Wage  Saving 31 

Need  for  Laborers,  Entirely  Eliminating „„... 80 

O 

On  the  Chesapeake  &  Ohio 62 

On  the  Pere  Marquette 63 

On  The  Santa  Fe 46 

Operating  Expenses 11 

P 

Peach  Creek;  W.  Va.,  Robertson  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings 53 

Percent  of  Wage  Increases 33 

Pere  Marquette  R.  R.,  Robertson  Conveyors  on , 63 

Peru,  Ind.,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings 56 

Port  Huron,  Mich.,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings 66 

Power  Machinery  for  Saving  Wages 31 

R 

Railway  Expenses 11 

Revenues,  Railway 11 

Robertson  Coaling  Station  at  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  Costs  and  Savings 99 

Robertson  Coaling  Station,  Granite  City,  111.,  Costs  and  Savings 96 

Robertson  Coaling  Station,   Ithaca,  N.  Y.,     Costs  and  Savings 97 

Robertson    Coaling  Station    Photographs 95,  96,  97,  98 

Robertson  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings : 

At  Argentine  Shops - 51 

At  Charlottesville,  Va 60 

At  Chillicothe,  111 -----  49 

At  Corwith,  111 48 

At  Detroit,  Mich 65 

At  18th  St.,  Chicago 47 

At  Fort  Shopton,  la 50 

At  Geneva,  N.  Y 99 

At  Gladstone,  Va 61 

At  Granite  City,   111 ,. 96 

At  Grand  Rapids,  Mich , w 68 

At  Handley,  W.  Va 62 

At  Hinton,  W.  Va 59 

At  Huntington,  W.  Va 55,  56 

At  Illmo,  Mo 89 

At  Ithaca,  N.  Y 96 

At  Kankakee,  111 90 

At  Lexington,  Ky -. 58 

At  Ludington,  Mich 67 

103 


TERMINAL     COST     DATA 


At  Macon,  Ga 86 

At  Memphis,  Tenn .. 87 

At  Peach  Creek,  W.  Va 53 

At  Peru,  Ind _ 56 

At  Port  Huron,  Mich 66 

At  Saginaw,  Mich 66 

At  Somerset,  Pa ---  91 

Robertson  Conveyor  Cinder  Pit,  Cost  of...., 41 

Robertson  Conveyor  Cinder  Pit,  Plans  of 41 

Robertson   Conveyors,   Increased  Savings  Due   to   Increased   Wages 13 

Robertson  Conveyor  Layouts :..'. '.....'. '. 76 

Robertson  Conveyor  Photographs : 

11,  12,  13,  16,  18,  19,  25,  26,  31,    32,  34,  36,  41,  46,  48,  49,  50,  51,  53,  55,  56,  57 
58,  59,  63,  64,  65,  67,  68,  69,  72,  73,  74,  75,  76,  77,  78,  79,  81,  82,  86,  88,  89,  90,  92,  93,  94 

S 

St.   Louis  &  San  Francisco  Ry.   Robertson  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings 87 

St.  Louis  Southwestern  Ry.,  Robertson  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings 89 

Safety    Requirements 35 

Saginaw,  Mich.,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings 67 

Saving  Labor 25-27 

Savings  at  Cinder  Pits  Per  Locomotive 14,  25,  27 

Savings,  Average  at  Cinder  Pits 7C 

Saving  Track   Room 83,  84 

Savings   With    Robertson    Conveyors    (See   Robertson  Conveyors) 

Shopton,  Ft.  Madison,  Iowa,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings 50 

Somerset,  Pa.,  Robertson  Cinder  Conveyor  Costs  and  Savings 91 

Southern  Railway,  Robertson  Conveyor  Costs    and    Savings '.  86 

Stations,  Robertson  Coaling . 95 

Summary,  Cost  and  Savings,  Robertson  Conveyors  on  the  C.  &  O 62 

Summary  of  Costs  and  Savings  at  Cinder  Pits,  Pere  Marquette 69 

Summary  of  Savings  with  Robertson  Conveyors  on  the  Santa  Fe 52 

T 

Terminal  Photographs 17-18 

Typical  Cinder  Pit  Layouts 78 

Typical  Layouts,  Robertson  Cinder  Pits , 78 

V 

Value  of  a  Locomotive - -  21 

W 

Wrage  Increases 33 

WTage  Increases  and  Labor  Saving  Machinery  36 

Wage  Saving,  Necessity  for 31 

Wages;  Comparative  Between  1917,  1918  and  1919 13 

Wages,  Increase  In 31,   33 

Wages:  Percent  Increase 33 

Water  Pit  Photographs 45-46 

Water  Pit  Plan  and  Section 38 

Water  Cinder  Pits .'. 35 

Water   Pits 35,  39,  44,  45 

Water  Pits,  Cost , 39 

Water  Pits  Not  Safe 35 

Water  Pits,  Photographs 39 

104 


YL 


